MIAMI – The Dallas Mavericks enter Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat on a four-game winning streak at the NBA level their back pockets.

Besides the Mavs, the other teams currently on a four-game winning streak are the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. But what separates what the Mavs have accomplished over the last four games, as opposed to the Clippers, Celtics and Bucks, is the average margin of victory.

How do the Mavs keep this train moving on the right path?

“(I have to) learn from my mistakes and not be complacent with wins and not be complacent with what we haven’t gotten in a while,” center Dereck Lively II said. “It’s just moving on to the next game, the next match, the next day’s mentality, and just taking that with you and moving on.”

The Mavs enter the game against the Heat having defeated the Denver Nuggets 123-120 on Friday. It was a game in which the Mavs blew a 24-point lead in the second half, then rallied after falling behind the Nuggets by five points with less than three minutes remaining.

The Mavs have won their last four games by an average of 15.8 points per game, while the Celtics have won theirs by 10.8 points, the Clippers by 10.3 points and the Bucks by 8.8 points. The challenge for the Mavs against Miami is to keep the ball moving when more players are involved offensively, and then limit the Heat to just one shot.

“At the end of the day, I know we have to be better defensively,” forward PJ Washington said. “So every time a shot goes up, I try to be aggressive and get a rebound for my team.

“(We just have to) focus on the little things, and I’m just going to get going and just be aggressive. I also thank my teammates for their confidence in me.”

Here are some other nuggets surrounding the game between the Mavs and Heat.

*This is the second of a three-game road trip for the Mavs. The trip started on Friday with the Mavs’ very wild 123-120 victory over the Nuggets in Denver. The journey concludes with Monday’s game in Atlanta before the Mavs return home to host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

*The Heat are in the middle of a three-game homestand. The homestand started with last Monday’s 106-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The home stretch ends with Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee before Miami plays at Charlotte on Wednesday.

*After losing an unusual four games in a row, the Mavs have followed that up by winning four games in a row. And in each of the past three games, the Mavs have distributed the ball so well that seven players scored 10 or more points in each of those games.

*The top production players for the Heat are Tyler Herro (24.2 ppg, 5.2 apg), Jimmy Butler (17.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Bam Adebayo (16.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and Duncan Robinson (10.2 ppg).

*The Mavs will once again be without star point guard Luka Dončić, who is sidelined with a right wrist sprain. Fortunately for the Mavs, they are 2-0 when Dončić has not played this season. In addition to the game against Denver that Dončić missed, the Mavs also won in Oklahoma City 121-119 on November 17, while Dončić was nursing a bruised right knee. Dončić will also miss Monday’s game in Atlanta and Wednesday’s game in Dallas against the New York Knicks.

*The well-rested Heat haven’t played since last Monday’s 17-point win over Philadelphia. In that game, Jimmy Butler collected 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Tyler Herro contributed 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.

*Mavs forward Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points off the bench on 11 of 15 shooting against Denver. He also converted 3 of 4 baskets from three-point land during his 26 minutes on the court.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (9-7) at MIAMI HEAT (6-7)

When: 5pm, Sunday

Where: Kaseya Center, Miami

TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV stream

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice