Cooper Flagg had 29 points and 11 assists, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 113-109 on Monday night, sending Miami to its fourth straight loss to open the season.
Flagg scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter. With 31 seconds left, he blocked a 3-point try by Andrew Wiggins that would have tied the game or given Miami the lead, preserving a two-point Dallas advantage. PJ Washington added 20 points for the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving scored 18 and Walter Clayton Jr. had 15.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double since joining Miami, finishing with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Davion Mitchell scored 21. The Heat missed 11 of 25 free throws.
Miami led by as many as 12 in the first half, its biggest lead of the season, but Dallas answered and led 53-52 at halftime. The Heat are 0-4 for the first time since 2008-09, a start that has happened only five times in franchise history.
It was the first meeting between Dallas coach Dusty May and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. May led Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, and his son Jack worked in the Heat’s video room before joining the Mavericks staff. Spoelstra called May a heck of a coach.
Miami visits Atlanta on Wednesday night. Dallas hosts Oklahoma City that same night.
