Post-game Power Points: Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks

Miami Heat 105, Dallas Mavericks 96

Lackluster first half on both ends- The defensive deficiencies have been somewhat of a problem all season and the first half of this game wasn’t much better. The Mavs allowed the Heat to shoot 60 percent from the field while they shot a measly 36.6 percent. Dirk had 16 points in the first half, but he was the only Maverick to break double digits as he got minimal help from his supporting cast.

At the other end, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng had 15 points each, with Mario Chalmers pitching in 10 points of his own. Deng especially had a very efficient first half as he made seven of his eight shot attempts.

Heat offense dictates- The Miami Heat scored all over the floor, but they especially dominated the closer they got to the rim. It wasn’t even the big men for the Heat that were scoring down low, actually it was their ability to shoot from the perimeter that brought Tyson Chandler and the Mavs big men to the perimeter and opened up easy lay in opportunities for the Heat guards to attack the rim.

Monta Ellis rocks the third quarter-  Monta Ellis sent the AAC in an uproar as he came out of the gate after halftime and scored 10 very quick points for the Mavs. He had two quick shots and then followed it up with back-to-back three pointers. Ellis finished with 14 points in the third and had 23 for the game.

However, the Mavs defensive struggles carried over from the first half as they allowed 28 points in the third period to scoring 23 of their own.

Aside from just giving up points, they were giving up shots that drained any momentum they had built, such as three pointers to Wade and Chalmers at different points in the period as the shot clock expired.

Tale of the two newcomers- The Miami Heat added Luol Deng to their arsenal on a two-year 19.9 million dollars deal. The Mavs added Chandler Parsons on a three-year 46 million dollar deal. The stat lines for each?

Deng went 13-17 for 30 points, including four from downtown. He added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Parsons went 1-9 for four points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and a turnover.

Statistically notable-

Luol Deng finished with 30 points on 13-18 shooting, five rebounds and three assists.

After 16 first half points for Dirk, he scored one more point the rest of the way and finished with 17 points on 6-15 shooting, six rebounds and three assists.

Notable quote- Mark Cuban said before the game: "I hated them before LeBron got there. He didn’t impact my feelings for them at all.''