Two days after his best NBA performance, Sergio de Larrea endured a forgettable night in Miami. The Valencia point guard fell awkwardly while receiving an inbound pass early in the second quarter and had to leave the court with right knee discomfort. He played just under six minutes and did not return. The Mavericks initially listed him as questionable before ruling him out for the remainder of the game. The Mavericks are calling it a sprain, and Dusty May confirmed imaging tests will be conducted on Tuesday.
https://youtu.be/kGmtTKoPL98?si=32_PLZ_KeRhfdUyr
His team, however, left Miami strengthened. Cooper Flagg, who had missed the game against the Spurs due to a left shoulder sprain, returned with 29 points, 11 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, and was decisive down the stretch.
A game of runs
The Mavericks started strong, building a 19-11 lead on the back of three-pointers, but the Heat responded with a 37-17 run that gave them their largest lead of the season, 12 points, in the second quarter. Dallas reacted with a 13-2 run before halftime (53-52). After the break, Giannis Antetokounmpo completed his triple-double and put Miami up ten (79-69), but a three-pointer from Walter Clayton Jr. and a basket from Kyrie Irving at the buzzer left the game wide open heading into the fourth quarter (84-83).
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Flagg takes over the fourth quarter
An offensive rebound by Daniel Gafford put the Mavericks ahead at 6:12 remaining (97-96), and from there Flagg took control. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer with two minutes left (111-105). The Heat closed the gap with a putback from Bam Adebayo (111-109), and with 31 seconds remaining Flagg blocked Andrew Wiggins' three-pointer that could have given them the lead. On the next possession, the No. 1 draft pick scored the decisive layup, and a block by Zaccharie Risacher on Davion Mitchell sealed the game.
PJ Washington, with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Kyrie Irving (18) and Clayton (15 on 6-of-7 shooting) completed the victory for the Mavericks, who even their record (2-2).
Giannis can't prevent 0-4
Antetokounmpo recorded 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in his first triple-double with the Heat, and Mitchell added 21. It wasn't enough. Miami missed 11 of their 25 free throws and begins the season with four losses, something that had only happened four times before in franchise history. For Giannis, it's the first time in his career that he's lost the first four games of a season.