NBA: Mavs continue torrid stretch, rough up Heat

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the host Miami Heat 111-92 on Wednesday night.

Dallas (50-30) has won 16 of its past 18 games, and the Mavericks are on pace to become the highest-scoring team in franchise history.

For Miami (44-36), the loss was costly, as the Heat no longer have a shot at clinching a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead, Miami will have to try to advance through the play-in tournament.

Doncic, who overcame three first-quarter fouls, had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Irving finished with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, going 5-for-8 from deep.

Dallas center Daniel Gafford went 6-for-6 from the floor, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He has now made 21 of 21 shots overall over his past three games.

The Heat, who played without Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (facet), fell to 20-19 at home.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 21 points, seven boards and six assists. But Heat stars Jimmy Butler (12 points) and Bam Adebayo (eight) were held in check.

One of the key moments of the game occurred when Doncic was charged with his third foul with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was forced to sit Doncic, who had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting at the time.

That’s when Irving, who was scoreless at the time of Doncic’s exit, took over. He scored 21 points over the remainder of the first half, including 10 during a 13-3 Mavericks run to close the first quarter.

Dallas led 33-24 after 12 minutes of action and 69-47 at halftime. Doncic and Irving outscored Butler and Adebayo 40-10 in the first half.

Miami, which trailed by as many as 25 points before the break, cut its deficit to 88-74 at the end of three quarters.

In the fourth, the Heat got no closer than eight, and Dallas held on from there.

The Mavericks finished the game with a 24-5 advantage in fastbreak points.

–Field Level Media/Reuters