Mavericks vs. Heat: Cooper Flagg's 29 points and late block drop Miami to 0-4 despite Giannis triple-double

Cooper Flagg made the biggest play of the night on the defensive end. The 19-year-old had 29 points and 11 assists, then blocked Andrew Wiggins’ go-ahead 3-point try with 31 seconds left, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 113-109 on Monday night, Oct. 26, at Kaseya Center.

The loss dropped Miami to 0-4, its worst start in nearly two decades, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo posting his first triple-double in a Heat uniform. Dallas improved to 2-2.

Mavericks vs. Heat final score

Miami trailed 19-11 midway through the first quarter, then outscored Dallas 37-17 over the next 12 minutes to build a 12-point lead, its biggest of the season, the AP reported. Dallas led 53-52 at halftime, and Miami took an 84-83 edge into the fourth.

The Heat’s final lead was 96-95 with 6:34 left. Dallas answered with an 11-3 run, according to the Miami Herald, and turned to a zone defense for part of the quarter to slow Antetokounmpo. Miami shot 9 of 25 from the field in the fourth.

How the finish played out

• Bam Adebayo’s putback cut the lead to 111-109 with 49.5 seconds left.
• After a Miami stop, Flagg blocked Wiggins’ corner 3 with 31.1 seconds to go.
• Flagg then drove past Wiggins and scored over Antetokounmpo to make it 113-109 with 10 seconds left.

Free throws hurt Miami all night. The Heat went 14 of 25 at the line, while Dallas made 13 of 14.

Cooper Flagg stats and Mavericks leaders

Flagg scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter. Reports differ slightly on his defensive numbers: the AP credited him with five steals and three blocks, while the Miami Herald listed four steals and two blocks.

Heat player stats: Giannis triple-double

Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, the 57th regular-season triple-double of his career, the Herald reported. Davion Mitchell added 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Pelle Larsson had 12 points off the bench, and Bobby Portis Jr. had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“I feel like sometimes you want something so bad that you kind of freeze in the moment,” Antetokounmpo said, per the Herald. “You cannot press the panic button and panic.”

Bam Adebayo’s slump continues

Adebayo had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, missed all five of his 3-point tries and added eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 30 minutes. Through four games he is averaging 11.8 points on 40% shooting and is 3 of 18 from deep, according to the Herald.

“He just needs to see the ball go in,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He had some good, clean looks.”

Adebayo pushed back on the criticism: “I’m not going to overthink it. It’s funny how the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat.”

There is a milestone in reach. Adebayo has 5,785 career rebounds with Miami, seven shy of Udonis Haslem’s franchise record of 5,791. He could pass his former mentor on Wednesday.

Other storylines

• A second-quarter dust-up: Daniel Gafford’s hard foul on Antetokounmpo was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, and Gafford and Portis each got technicals after a shoving exchange.
• Klay Thompson vs. his old team: In his first game against Dallas since leaving, Thompson had six points in 15 minutes.
• Coaching friends: It was the first meeting between Spoelstra and first-year Dallas coach Dusty May. “He’s a heck of a coach,” Spoelstra said.
• History: This is the fifth 0-4 start in Heat history, per the Herald.

What’s next

The Mavericks host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The Heat visit the Atlanta Hawks the same night, still looking for their first win.

FAQ