Heat bounce back against Dallas, earn 129-122 victory

Miami got the most from its most-recent acquisitions, plus a much-needed double-double from Jimmy Butler.

In the absence of Bam Adebayo, who missed Saturday’s showdown due to a right hip contusion, the Miami Heat needed multiple ancillary bodies to step up.

The task was followed, as the Heat picked up a desperate 129-122 victory over the Dallas Mavericks inside Miami-Dade Arena, primarily on the backs of Jimmy Butler, Cody Zeller and Kevin Love off the bench.

Butler finished with 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also added 12 assists — his 11th double-double of the season — with three rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Heat got their most productive outings from Kevin Love and Cody Zeller — their two most recent signees — since both arrived in Miami. Zeller, starting in place of Adebayo, tallied 20 points with eight rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting in 29 minutes; coming off the bench for the first time since signing, Love had 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 19 minutes.

The player who started ahead of Love, Max Strus, posted 18 points himself, knocking down six of his nine triples. Tyler Herro was Miami’s only other double-figure scorer, adding 15 points with six rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Luka Doncic nearly strung together a 40-point triple-double, finishing with 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving had 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting plus eight assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. tallied 31 points with six 3-pointers, in addition to six rebounds and seven assists.

Miami led by as many as 18 in the second half, but their deficit was quickly trimmed to six by the start of the final period. Nevertheless, the lead never got closer than five, with 16 combined points coming from none other than Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.

The Heat’s 129-point outing was one of their most productive of the season, albeit against a flimsy Maverick defense. According to Cleaning The Glass, the Heat posted a 132.0 offensive rating — placing in the 94th percentile. Its 113.7 offensive rating in the halfcourt placed in the 87th percentile, while its 59.9 effective field goal percentage ranked in the 78th percentile.

Miami’s seven-point win moved them back within 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets with four games — and eight days — left in the regular season. Meanwhile, Dallas remains one game out of the Western Conference play-in race entirely.