News / Sports
NBA Scores: Dirk Nowitzki Leads Dallas Mavericks Past Miami Heat
The Dallas Mavericks (45-9) built a 23 point lead by halftime and eased past the Miami Heat (26-28) 112-100. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while Jason Terry added 21 points and 5 boards in the Mavs win.
Playing without Dwyane Wade Miami Heat got an idea of how difficult it was going to be to compete against the elite teams in the NBA. It was Wade who led the Heat past the Mavericks in last year’s NBA Championship and without him they may struggle to even reach the playoffs.
It didn’t appear as if Gary Payton or Jason Williams was ready to step into Dwyane Wade’s shoes either. The backcourt for Miami combined for 15 points and 5 assists in the loss. Wade was averaging 28.8 points and 7.9 assists when he injured his shoulder against the Houston Rockets.
Shaquille O’Neal led the Heat with 17 points and 8 rebounds but without an outside threat the Mavericks were able to collapse down low and keep the big man in check.
The win was the 10th in a row for the Mavericks making them the first team in NBA history to have three 10-game winning streaks in a season.
