The Miami Heat had recently defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons, thus this was a step up in competition, even though the Dallas Mavericks came into the game having lost five of their previous six.

The Heat lost 114-108 at American Airlines Centre on Thursday night in an attempt to not rise to the occasion.

The Heat were unable to capitalise on the opportunity despite Duncan Robinson’s outstanding start, Bam Adevayo and Terry Rozier’s strong performance, and some scorching early 3-point shooting.

Now, the stakes are higher as the Heat finish this road back-to-back series with a Friday night matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jimmy Butler appeared to be limited after sustaining a left wrist injury in the first half, and the Heat were put to the test by double teams the entire time. Nevertheless, Luka Doncic finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for his sixth straight 30-point triple-double.

Butler scored 14 points, while Robinson finished with five 3-pointers and 19 points. Adebayo contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, while Rozier recorded a Heat record-tying 27 points and 11 assists.

Five Hot Points from the game on Thursday night:

1. Closing: The Heat led 36-28 at the end of the first quarter, 58-54 at halftime, and had taken an early 15-point lead.

After Doncic scored 17 points in the third quarter, Dallas seized its first lead at 69-68. Later, the lead was increased to 11 points, and they led 91-83 going into the fourth quarter.

The Heat only managed 47 points in the second and third quarters combined, while the Mavericks scored 37 in the third.

Then, with 7:21 remaining, the score was knotted, 95-95.

With 1:28 remaining, 3-pointers by Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, and Donic put Dallas ahead 109-104, effectively sealing the victory.

2. Rotation change: The Heat started Butler, Adebayo, Robinson, Rozier, and Nikola Jovic in the starting lineup for the fifth straight game.

However, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra chose Thomas Bryant over Orlando Robinson as his backup centre because Kevin Love was sidelined once more. In the second half of Tuesday night’s home triumph over the Detroit Pistons, Spoelstra adopted the same strategy.

Spoelstra excluded Orlando Robinson, Delon Wright, Jamal Cain, Alondes Williams, and rookie Patty Mills from the mix even though it was the first night of a back-to-back set.

3. Still on the move: Robinson finished the first half 5 of 5 from the field, including 4 of 4 3-pointers, demonstrating his consistency with the ball.

At the half, he had surpassed Doncic 14–12 in points.

After that, Robinson made his first 3-point try to get to 6 of 6 and 5 of 5, and he finished with a driving layup to get to 7 of 7.

Robinson’s first turnover occurred during a 3-point attempt with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter. Shortly later, he picked up his fourth foul, forcing him to the bench.

He finished 5 of 8 3-pointers and 7 of 10 field goals.

4. The story’s wrist: Butler was gripping his left wrist after Maxi Kleber blocked a shot in the second quarter.

With six points and four turnovers in the first half, Butler was still in the game and only made one of two foul shots.

After rejoining the starting lineup for the second half, he only managed two shots in the third quarter and failed to score in his allotted ten minutes.

Defence was also played with a lot of effort, as Butler took on the task of guarding Doncic.

In addition to five assists and four rebounds, Butler finished 6 of 12 from the field and 1 of 2 from the foul line and 3-point range.

5. Debut on hold: On Thursday, Mills, wearing a Heat uniform for the first time, did not play.

However, Spoelstra stated that the 35-year-old point guard’s arrival has a lot of potential.

Before the game, Spoelstra expressed his excitement about the signing. “Again, having someone with that much experience—winning, postseason, and as a terrific teammate—who also knows how to blend in at this time of year is really beneficial.

We simply believe that he is another excellent fit for a variety of reasons. In terms of style, both his playing and competitive style. He’s got offensive space-making ability. Additionally, we already have his catch-and-shoot and dribble-handoff skills in our system.

Then Spoelstra made fun of Mills for spending a large portion of his 15-season NBA career as a Heat pest.

We’re simply sick of being on the losing end of him being a Heat killer, Spoelstra added. It would be great if we could convince him to come along. He has my utmost regard.