After every NBA team was in action on Wednesday night, a few poor teams got the short straw and have to play Thursday night on the second night of a back-to-back. That includes your Miami Heat, who have to turn around after blowing a 21-point lead to the Oklahoma City Thunder and travel to Dallas.
Here’s what to know for Thursday night’s tilt.
How to watch Heat at Mavericks
Time: 8:30 pm ET
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Stream: NBA League Pass
Key injuries
A stomach virus continues to ravage the Heat’s locker room, claiming Andrew Wiggins as its latest victim. Wiggins is out for Thursday night’s game vs the Mavericks, while Terry Rozier will miss his second game because of the illness. They join Kevin Love (personal) and Dru Smith (Achilles) as out. Isaiah Stevens, Keshad Johnson and Josh Christopher are away from the team on G League assignment.
Potentially making things more complicated, Bam Adebayo is questionable with a knee injury he sustained in Oklahoma City. Nikola Jovic (knee) and Duncan Robinson are probable. Robinson missed Wednesday’s game with – you guessed it – a stomach illness.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks, who also played Wednesday night, might be in worse shape. They’ll be without Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Caleb Martin, Dwight Powell and P.J. Washington.
Also for Dallas, Dante Exum (Achilles), Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Klay Thompson (foot) and listed as questionable.
Key matchup
It’s difficult to identify a key matchup, considering how many players are on the injury report. If Irving plays, he becomes Miami’s top priority on defense. Expect Davion Mitchell, Miami’s new ace defender, to draw that assignment.
One thing I’m watching: Can Kel’el Ware take advantage of a small Mavericks lineup missing all of its centers? There’s an opportunity for Tyler Herro and Ware to make this game easy by spamming the pick-and-roll.
Betting
The Heat are 1.5-point favorites in Dallas.