The Dallas Mavericks (8-15) have spent much of the season searching for evidence that their reshaped roster could sustain winning basketball. On Wednesday night, they found it — in the form of a 118–108 win over the Miami Heat (14-8) that extended their first winning streak of the season to three games, split the season series, and continued a quietly improving stretch of play. Dallas is now 3-2 in its last five meetings with Miami and 6-4 in its last 10.
The Mavericks managed early foul trouble, absorbed two significant Miami pushes, overcame Daniel Gafford’s second-half ankle injury, and closed with the most poised fourth-quarter stretch they’ve produced all season. And when the game tightened to four in the final minutes, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg delivered the decisive sequence.
Dallas Mavericks Find Late-Game Poise as Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis Close It Out
Dallas led by 17 late in the third quarter before Miami carved the margin down possession by possession. Kel’el Ware found success as a roller and on the offensive glass, Bam Adebayo generated short-range scoring chances, and Miami’s pace quickened. When Adebayo hit a leaning push shot with 2:54 left, the Mavericks’ lead had shrunk to 110-106, and the Heat were surging.
Davis broke the run first. After a timeout, he established deep position, took a controlled entry feed and banked in a short turnaround over Adebayo to stabilize Dallas. The Mavericks followed with a clean defensive stand, forcing Miami into a late-clock miss.
Flagg then delivered the game’s defining stretch. He rose into a calm midrange jumper on the right side for a 114-106 lead, then chased down Andrew Wiggins and blocked his driving attempt at the rim without fouling. Moments later, Davis drew a second defender and slipped a pass to Flagg for a point-blank finish that pushed the lead to 116-106. Miami never closed the gap again.
“It’s so much better for us when he’s out there, obviously,” Flagg said of Davis. “Between him and Klay (Thompson) on the court at the same time, the amount of gravity those two guys have of pulling defenses toward them and creating space, it’s huge for me. It’s been a treat for me to be alongside him. AD’s an incredible player. He just makes the right play. It’s so easy to play off of him. It’s fun to be out there with him.”
Davis finished with 17 points, a season-high 17 rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks, marking his 320th career game with at least three blocks, the 19th-most in NBA history. His presence changed Miami’s shot diet: the Heat shot 39.6% from the field (40-101) and 29.7% from three (11-37), struggling to generate clean looks inside the arc or from deep.
“He looks great,” Kidd said. “He’s moving, I think a lot better. I think he’s comfortable. Defensively, to block shots and rebound and be able to guard one-on-one where we don’t have to double-team is something we enjoy. But his skill set offensively — being able to get the foul or coming up with a basket down the stretch — is big.”
Ryan Nembhard Continues Historic Two-Game Stretch; Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall Add Punch
Undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard added another landmark performance, finishing with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 3-for-3 from deep, along with a career-high 13 assists, five rebounds, and only one turnover. His night cemented a two-game stretch that placed him in rare statistical territory across NBA history.
After totaling 28 points and 10 assists in Denver, Nembhard’s combined line over the two-game span reached 43 points, 23 assists, and one turnover. He became the first undrafted rookie in the Modern Draft Era (since 1967) to record at least 15 points and 10 assists in consecutive games. He also became the 17th player in NBA history — and the only rookie since turnovers were formally tracked beginning in 1997-98 — to compile at least 40 points, 20 assists, and fewer than one turnover across two games.
His efficiency placed him alongside the game’s elite modern playmakers. Over the two games, he shot better than 50.0% from beyond the arc, becoming one of only three players in league history — joining Kevin Johnson and Tyrese Haliburton — to pair that level of shooting efficiency with his assist-to-turnover production. He also became the fourth rookie since 1977-78 to record back-to-back games with at least 15 points and 10 assists while committing one or fewer turnovers, joining Ben Simmons, Raymond Felton, and Mark Jackson.
Nembhard’s performance set a new franchise record for assists by an undrafted Mavericks rookie (13). He also joined Luka Dončić, J.J. Barea, and Deron Williams as the only Mavericks in the last decade to record at least 13 assists with one or fewer turnovers.
“I’m trying to make the right play,” Nembhard said. “If I get them the ball on time and on target, they’ll do the rest. That’s a big point of emphasis for me.”
Kidd emphasized his growing command of the offense.
“His teammates and the coaching staff trust him when he’s on the floor,” Kidd said. “You can see that over the last few games.”
Klay Thompson continued his most productive three-game scoring stretch of the season, finishing with 15 points, his third straight game with at least 15. He added three rebounds, an assist and a block while hitting 5-for-12 from three. His five made threes marked his fifth game this season with at least five threes off the bench, the most in the league. Thompson now leads all Mavericks reserves with 12.5 points per game.
Naji Marshall added 18 points, punishing Miami’s rotations with timely cuts and transition opportunities, while Max Christie scored 10 and gave Dallas a clean second-side option in multiple offensive sets. All five Mavericks starters scored in double figures for the fourth time this season.
Dallas Mavericks Control Perimeter, Continues Historic Shooting Stretch
The Mavericks not only generated efficient shooting but also sustained one of their best defensive three-point efforts of the season. Miami was limited to 29.7% (11-37) from beyond the arc, marking the 10th time Dallas has held an opponent below 30.0% from deep, tied for the most such games in the league with Miami and Indiana.
Offensively, Dallas shot 16-for-32 from three (50.0%), following a 16-for-31 (.516) outing in Denver. It marked the Mavericks’ first back-to-back games shooting at least 50.0% from deep since November 2019.
Spoelstra credited Davis for altering the matchup compared to their prior meeting.
“Anthony Davis was one of the most important — if not the most important — pieces to that puzzle,” he said. “He impacts winning.”
Dallas also split the season series, 1-1.
Early Foul Trouble Doesn’t Slow Cooper Flagg, Who Extends Historic Rookie Start
Flagg picked up three fouls in the opening four minutes, but Kidd opted to trust him rather than sit him for the remainder of the half. Dallas altered coverages to shield him from direct isolation, and Flagg responded with disciplined positional defense and efficient scoring.
He finished with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. It marked his third straight game with at least 20 points, joining LeBron James as the only 18-year-olds in NBA history to record such a streak. With eight 20-point games already, Flagg has posted the second-most 20-point games by an 18-year-old in league history, trailing only James (14).
He also joined Mark Aguirre, Jamal Mashburn, and Luka Dončić as the only Mavericks rookies to produce at least eight 20-point outings within their first 22 games. Flagg now ranks second among rookies in total points (380), first in rebounds (145), second in assists (73), second in steals (30), and fourth in blocks (14).
“It’s not easy,” Flagg said of adjusting after early fouls. “Part of it is being able to go out there and still be myself, knowing I only have three and I’ll get three more.”
“With a lead? Yeah, it was different,” he added. “We haven’t had many games when we’ve been up or had a lot of leads, so it feels good to have a little bit of a cushion.”
Miami Heat Rally Falls Short as Dallas Mavericks Show New Identity
Miami’s fourth-quarter push briefly threatened the game, cutting the gap to four. But Dallas responded with its sharpest defensive and offensive possessions of the season. Davis fortified the paint, Nembhard organized late-clock movement, and Flagg delivered the decisive two-way burst.
Dallas shot 50.5% from the field (46-91), 50.0% from three (16-32), and 83.3% from the line (10-12). The Mavericks won the rebounding battle 50-41 and recorded 31 assists.
“It’s been a treat playing with him,” Flagg said of Davis. “He makes our team so much better.”
Up Next
The Mavericks will visit Oklahoma City on Friday night.
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