The Miami Heat weren't in their usual flow offensively, but managed to win against a severely shorthanded Dallas Mavericks team in clutch fashion.
Miami, FL - The Miami Heat were off to a great start to the season and riding a four-game winning streak ahead of last night's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who have dealt with various injuries, most notably with superstar center Anthony Davis, who's suffered a left calf strain and remained sidelined for a 14th consecutive game.
On the other hand, it marked the return of All-Star guard Tyler Herro, who's been sidelined due to left ankle surgery, which occurred in late September. The Heat were already one of the best offenses in the league, so adding another offensive spark could potentially make them extra dangerous. However, as one man comes back, another goes down, with Norman Powell being ruled out due to a left groin strain.
Erik Spoelstra mentioned before the game that it's nothing serious and the veteran guard is "day-to-day, but no timeline of return.
"I think the bigger thing was that it was a back-to-back," he said. "The level of concern is not super high."
Andrew Wiggins (left hip flexor strain) and Nikola Jovic (right hip impingement), both didn't travel with the team on their most recent two-game road trip, remained sidelined. Spoelstra also alluded to them being "day-to-day."
As for the Mavericks, junior center Dereck Lively II was out due to right foot injury management, superstar guard Kyrie Irving has yet to make his season debut, recovering from a torn ACL surgery in his left knee, and veteran guard Dante Exum recently underwent right knee season-ending surgery.
The starting lineups:
Heat: Davion Mitchell-Tyler Herro-Pelle Larsson-Bam Adebayo-Kel'el Ware
Mavericks: Brandon Williams-Max Christie-Cooper Flagg-PJ Washington-Daniel Gafford
Spoelstra remained with the double-big frontcourt and Herro was immediately reinstated in the starting lineup.
It was time for tipoff and both sides were off to a struggling offensive start. Kel'el Ware was the first to punch the scoreboard with a couple of free throws, but Brandon Williams made the first field goal of the game with a left-wing three-pointer.
It remained a slugfest for both teams, especially the Heat, who only made one three-pointer out of seven attempts in the whole first quarter. Also, it was clear that Herro was shaking off the rust, missing all three of his attempts.
As the second quarter began, the Heat's offense began to find its rhythm, sparking a 15-3 run, which was capped off by Herro making his field goal of the game in the paint.
The game remained close, but the Mavericks drastically struggled to respond, especially from behind the arc. They made two out of 14 three-point attempts in the whole second quarter, five of which came in the final two minutes before halftime.
The Heat led 52-44 as both teams headed to their respective locker rooms. It was a struggle for the whole team offensively, rather than Herro's first game disturbing the flow. However, throughout the third quarter was when the game began to turn around for him.
The 25-year-old connected on five consecutive field goal attempts, a strong glimpse of his old self. The Heat led by as many as 13 points, then finished the third quarter ahead by eight, 80-72.
The Mavericks' offense continued to struggle in finding any sort of consistent spark. However, they found it in the fourth quarter, and the game was within a couple of possessions down the stretch.
Despite the out-of-character offensive inefficiency, the Heat stood on top, securing the victory, with a final score of 106-102. Herro made a fast break jumpshot at the top of the right elbow, giving them the edge. They extend their win streak to five.
Ware finished with another strong performance: 20 points, along with three three-pointers made, 18 rebounds, and three blocks in 34 minutes. It's his eighth double-double of the season, seventh out of the last eight games.
"Being able to see what he's doing, I'm truly proud of him," Adebayo said about Ware playing with emotion. "It might not be 20 [points] and 18 [rebounds] every night, but his impact now, it doesn't matter if it's seven points and 10 rebounds, you're going to feel his impact. That's what I want him to keep striving off of. Not just, 'Can I get a double-double?' I want him to really impact winning, being aggressive, crashing the glass, just impacting winning because it might not show up in the stat sheet."
Herro played as if he was never injured, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in 29 minutes. He made 12 out of 18 field goal attempts, 66.7 percent, with no three-pointers made, but only took two attempts. There's still a mountain to climb for him to find his full rhythm on the court, but it's certainly a great start.
"First, I just want to thank everyone who helped me with my recovery and my rehab to get back," he said. "It was a long nine, 10 weeks or so, but it went by fast. I appreciate everyone, my coaches, my teammates, everyone who has allowed me to just come back into the lineup and help try to win another game. I know they've been having a lot of fun and just to be able to go out there and compete with them, it was great tonight."
Herro alluded to there being "a long way to go" before returning to a normal routine.
It's a great sign for the Heat, who improve their record to 12-6 on the season, third in the Eastern Conference standings. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, another In-Season Tournament Cup matchup, and will be without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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