The Mavericks knew the importance of Thursday’s showdown against Miami.
They could not afford to go 0-3 on this home stand against Eastern Conference competition.
“Most definitely,” said Daniel Gafford, “it was a must-win. This is one of the ones we need. We’re playing for something. We had the mindset that it was going to be a tough one, especially with this rough, gritty Miami team.”
So the Mavericks used a formula seldom seen from them: grit and grind. Along with a healthy dose of Luka Dončić and Dante Exum.
Another 30-plus-point triple-double by Dončić and several clutch plays, including a three-pointer, by Exum in the final minutes clinched a 114-108 victory over the Heat at American Airlines Center.
By salvaging the finale of this homestand, the Mavericks improved to 35-28 while the Heat slipped to 35-27.
The highlight will certainly be Dončić, who had 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. It’s the fifth 30-point triple-double in a row and the last four have been with 35 or more points. That’s never happened before.
“It’s great, especially when it comes with a win,” he said. “That’s all that matters right now.”
When he heaved a three-pointer from the right wing just before the shot clock expired, the ball splashed through the net and put the Mavericks up 98-97. It was that kind of night for Luka.
“Those are shots I like, shots I practice,” he said “Once I let it go, I knew it was going in. It felt good. I was pretty confident it was going in.”
His coach may not have had quite that same confidence, but Jason Kidd certainly has learned never to doubt his superstar point guard.
“We can’t take that young man for granted,” Kidd said. “You’re seeing something as rare as a Picasso. Every night, he does something.
“I thought the three with no time on the shot clock – everybody just knows he’s going to make it. But that doesn’t happen for everybody. So he’s special.”
And then there was Exum, who still is rounding into form after missing a month with foot and knee issues.
The Mavericks still were down 101-100 with under four minutes left and the Heat had a chance to widen the gap.
That’s when Exum knocked in a three pointer up against the shot clock for a 103-101 Mavericks’ lead. Next came a Miami turnover, which Exum came up with.
When Luka nailed a triple with 2:28 to go, the Mavericks were up 106-101 and that lead grew to 111-104. The Heat came back to within 111-108 with 33.8 seconds left.
But Exum made two free throws with 21.8 seconds left. That pushed him up to 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in limited minutes. The Heat couldn’t convert and the Mavericks closed it out with free throws.
“Obviously, I haven’t closed a game in a long time, but I’m always ready,” Exum said. “And I know they’re going to double both of them (Luka and Kyrie Irving). So come back to the ball and when I get the free throws, just be confident I’m going to knock them down.
“Now, every game is critical for us. We need to kind of set our foot down and create this identity of who we’re going to be going into the postseason. If we lock down on defense, we’re an offensive team that can outscore anybody.”
It was a unique game for the Mavericks in that they had to play physical. Against the Heat, you have no other choice.
“Very big (win),” said Dončić. “Miami’s a tough team. They have a winning coach over there. It was a tough game. I’m happy we got a win. I think we showed our physicality, too. The refs were letting us play.”
Said Gafford, who got the start at center and had 12 points and seven rebounds: “These guys are tough. They put their bodies on the line and their energy is out of this world. We just had to hold our poise because we knew it was going to be a rough game from the start.”
It was grit and grind, no doubt. And the Mavericks held the Heat to 25 points or fewer in each of the last three quarters.
The Mavericks had trailed the entire way until going up 69-68 midway through the third quarter. They then pushed the cushion to 10 late in the period.
But it’s not easy to score against the rugged Heat. And when Jimmy Butler knocked in a midrange shot, it was 95-93. The Heat tied it on the next possession with 7:21 left, forced a miss by Kyrie Irving and got Caleb Martin’s breakaway layup for a 97-95 lead with 6:55 to go.
From there, it was game on.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks tried to keep pace with the run-and-gun Indiana Pacers and it didn’t work. But they knew the Heat would pose a different threat.
“This is a little bit different beast,” coach Jason Kidd said before the game.
The Heat are more physical and play better defense than most NBA teams and the Mavericks needed some time to adjust to that. They were down 21-7 less than five minutes into the game and never led in the first half, after which they were down 58-54.
The Mavericks finally took their first lead of the game at 69-68 just before the midpoint of the third quarter. That would turn into a 16-6 surge and a 76-71 advantage.
X: @ESefko
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