Heat at Mavericks
Many who wrote off Miami in the wake of LeBron James' departure did so in large part because Dwyane Wade did not seem to be the same player he once was. Wade has shunned the naysayers early on and will attempt to keep his solid play going when he leads the Heat into a Sunday night matchup at Dallas. The 10-time All-Star who was limited to 54 games last season, was dominant in Miami's 102-92 win over Minnesota on Saturday, going 11-for-16 from the floor en route to 25 points and eight assists.
Excluding one rocky effort at Philadelphia on Nov. 1, Wade has scored at least 19 points while shooting 50 percent or better in every game and he is averaging seven assists in his last five. The Mavericks know a thing or two about offensive efficiency as they average 106.2 points per game, second in the NBA entering Saturday's action. Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Dallas' 105-82 victory at Utah on Friday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, Sun Sports (Miami), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE HEAT (4-2): He doesn't need to play at the level of James, but Luol Deng's ability to provide a third option alongside Wade and Chris Bosh could make all the difference on some nights. Deng had 14 points in the win over Minnesota and is averaging 14.8 points on 59.5 percent shooting in Miami's four victories against 10 points with a 33 percent mark in its two losses. The Heat have won six in a row against Dallas.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (4-2): While Nowitzki was on the mark against Utah, fellow starting forward Chandler Parsons was hindered by an upper respiratory infection. Parsons, who averaged 20.5 points over his previous four games, was limited to five points on 1-of-11 shooting, missing all four of his 3-point tries. However, Parsons did help to stymie Jazz star Gordon Hayward, who was held to 12 points in 29 minutes against a Dallas squad that had yet to limit an opponent to under 100 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nowitzki needs 34 points to pass Houston great Hakeem Olajuwon for ninth on the all-time scoring list.
2. Bosh has scored at least 20 points in all six games this season.
3. Dallas has turned the ball over 10 times or fewer in four of six games so far.