Jan 30, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) dunks the ball as Miami Heat guard Shabazz Napier (13) defends the play during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Hassan Whiteside, who started the game by grabbing 10 rebounds in the first four minutes, looked like he was about to lead another surprising Miami Heat win on national television. But without Dwyane Wade or Luol Deng, the Heat couldn’t hang with the Dallas Mavericks.
When the fourth quarter started, the game was tied at 60 and the Dallas Mavericks were just seven points into a 21-0 run that lasted all the way until Tyler Johnson scored on a floater with 7:03 remaining to make it 74-62.
At that point, with the Miami Heat struggling on offense all night, the game was over. ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh summed it up well.
Hassan Whiteside put up 16 points and 24 rebounds, but Dallas went on 45-6 run in second-half. FORTY FIVE TO SIX.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) January 31, 2015
In fact it was an ugly shooting night for both teams, except it only lasted three quarters for the Mavs and four for the Heat. Miami couldn’t find consistent offense without Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (illness) and simply couldn’t hang with one of the top teams in the West.
The Heat shot a measly 33 percent shooting on the night while the Mavs, struggling at first, bumped their rate up to 41.5 percent.
Charlie Villanueva scored 20 points, including 11 in the final period. Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzi scored 12 points apiece.
Check out the post-game grades and Heat Index, categorizing every player from “cold” to “white hot.”
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