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1st Quarter Report
The Heat are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 36-28 lead against the Mavericks.
If the Heat keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 36-26 in no time. On the other hand, the Mavericks will have to make due with a 34-29 record unless they turn things around.
Who’s Playing
Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks
Current Records: Miami 35-26, Dallas 34-28
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: American Airlines Center — Dallas, Texas
- TV: TNT
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $35.00
What to Know
The Heat have enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on the Heat, who come in off a win.
Winning is just a little bit easier when your three-point shooting is a whole 16.6% better than the opposition, a fact the Heat proved on Tuesday. They came out on top against Detroit by a score of 118-110.
Jimmy Butler was his usual excellent self, scoring 26 points along with eight assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They took a 137-120 bruising from Indiana. The Mavericks didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Despite their loss, the Mavericks saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Luka Doncic, who dropped a triple-double on 39 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists, was perhaps the best of all. Doncic hasn’t dropped below 26 points for 12 straight games. Another player making a difference was Daniel Gafford, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Miami has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 35-26 record this season. As for Dallas, they have been struggling recently as they’ve lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 34-28 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Heat haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.2 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Mavericks (currently ranked fifth in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.9 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Heat are hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a seven game streak of covering the spread when playing on the road.
Odds
Dallas is a 4.5-point favorite against Miami, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mavericks as a 5-point favorite.
The over/under is 229.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Miami has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.
- Apr 01, 2023 – Miami 129 vs. Dallas 122
- Jan 20, 2023 – Dallas 115 vs. Miami 90
- Feb 15, 2022 – Dallas 107 vs. Miami 99
- Nov 02, 2021 – Miami 125 vs. Dallas 110
- May 04, 2021 – Dallas 127 vs. Miami 113
- Jan 01, 2021 – Dallas 93 vs. Miami 83
- Feb 28, 2020 – Miami 126 vs. Dallas 118
- Dec 14, 2019 – Miami 122 vs. Dallas 118
- Mar 28, 2019 – Miami 105 vs. Dallas 99
- Feb 13, 2019 – Miami 112 vs. Dallas 101
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