Final: Heat 113, Mavs 101
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
With his first made 3-pointer, Dirk Nowitzki passed Chauncey Billups (1,830) to move into 12th place on the all-time made 3s list. By the end of the game he actually passed J.R. Smith for 11th place, too, but Smith is still active so those guys have gone back and forth for most of the season. Billups has retired, of course, so Dirk’s spot is safe in that regard.
Dennis Smith Jr. handed out seven assists, his highest mark in a game since Nov. 11.
Yogi Ferrell finished with a season-high 23 points. He bested that mark once last season — the nine-3 game in Portland at the height of Yogimania. He’s now scored in double-figures seven straight games.
Notebook
Perhaps inspired by his recent rise up the all-time made 3s list, Nowitzki was letting them fly tonight like we haven’t seen in more than a decade. He took 15 3s in this one, tying for the highest mark in a single game in his career. The other instance came on Jan. 15, 2002. He played 48 minutes that night. That wasn’t the case in this game, obviously, because he’s 39 years old and the general thought of anyone playing 48 minutes in this era is absurd. But that shows you how long Dirk has been doing his thing, and we’re all better off for being able to watch it.
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Maybe you weren’t around to watch him go bombs away 15 years ago, but at least you were tonight. Nowitzki finished with a season-high 20 points.
There was some incredible shot-making in this game by both teams. It wasn’t one of those nights when no one could get hot. Quite the opposite, in fact. Dallas was playing some brilliant basketball for most of this game but the Heat simply couldn’t miss from anywhere. Every time the Mavs put a run together, the Heat answered. Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, and Josh Richardson in particular were magnificent, knocking down all the shots you actually want your opponent to take: off-the-dribble 3s, pull-up mid-range jumpers, and so on. Dallas effectively built a shell around the paint but Miami was able to shoot right through it, which is tough to overcome.
What’s Next
The Mavs (9-24) will play the Atlanta Hawks (7-24) on Saturday at Philips Arena at 6:30 p.m. Central.
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