October 27, 2026 at 5:33 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Flagg and Washington Carry Mavericks Past Winless Heat, 113-109

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Cooper Flagg played through a questionable tag with 29 points and 11 assists as Dallas beat Miami by four and sent the Heat to 0-4 despite a 29-14-11 night from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MIAMI - Two teams came into Monday night looking for a way out of bad starts, and only one found it. The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 113-109, moving to 2-2 while Miami fell to 0-4. Four games into the 2026-27 schedule, the Heat have yet to win.

The early losses had been pinned on effort and focus more than talent, and on Miami being run over rather than edged. This one was different in shape. The Heat stayed within reach and lost by four, which is closer than the previous three games suggested. Giannis Antetokounmpo gave them everything he had, with a triple-double of 29 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in 39 minutes. Davion Mitchell added 21 points, though he had no rebounds. Bobby Portis had a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 12 rebounds. It still wasn't enough for a team that badly needed a first win in the Antetokounmpo era and played like it, at home, with little margin.

Dallas arrived at 1-2 and with a long injury list, and Cooper Flagg was listed as questionable. He played 40 minutes. His 29 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists made for a double-double, and they were the sort of numbers Dallas expects from a player who came in averaging 23 a night in his second season. P.J. Washington logged a game-high 41 minutes and gave the Mavericks 20 points and 9 rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored 18, and Walter Clayton Jr. added 15 in 17 minutes off the bench.

Miami led by 12 in the second quarter, but Dallas finished the half strong and led 53-52 at halftime. A 14-4 Mavericks run put them up 104-97 with 4:52 left, and Flagg took over from there. His pull-up three with 2:02 left made it 111-105. After Bam Adebayo's tip-in cut it to 111-109, Flagg blocked Wiggins' three, scored a layup with 10 seconds left, and Zaccharie Risacher blocked Davion Mitchell's last drive. Flagg finished with five steals and three blocks.

Miami got 12 each from Pelle Larsson and Andrew Wiggins, but Bam Adebayo scored only 8 and Klay Thompson 6 in 15 minutes. Dallas has a win to build on, and the Heat head into the next game with the same problem they had coming in.

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