Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball against Duncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center on March 7, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Photograph by Tim Heitman/Getty Images.
Following their 130-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks (49-30) travel to Miami to face the Heat (44-35) on Wednesday. Both clubs are playing the second night of a back-to-back after the Heat defeated the Hawks 117-111 in double overtime on Tuesday.

On March 7, the Mavericks defeated the Heat 114-108 in Dallas, beginning a streak of 15 wins in Dallas’ last 17 games.Before breaking through against the Heat in their first meeting of the season, the Mavs had lost five of six, but what a difference a month makes. Dallas is now the hottest club in the NBA as the regular season comes to a close.

In Tuesday’s win over Charlotte, Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 22nd triple-double of the season and 77th in his career. He eclipsed Mark Aguirre’s single-season Mavericks scoring record in the process, and he now has 2,341 points this season. Daniel Gafford had one of those special Daniel Gafford nights, scoring 26 points, seven boards, and two blocked shots while dominating the paint and connecting on all 12 of his shot attempts.

Miles Bridges led Charlotte in the loss with 22 points and five rebounds, while rookie Brandon Miller had 21 and six.

Here are three things the Mavs can accomplish to extend their current win streak to five games when they arrive in Miami:

Make use of the rest advantage.
True, both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, but Dallas and Miami won their games on Tuesday in very different ways. Dončić played only 35 minutes in the win and 3:37 in the fourth quarter at Charlotte before sitting out.Kyrie Irving played 37 minutes in the victory.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro each played 48 minutes in the Heat’s double overtime victory, while Jimmy Butler added 44. The Miami Brain Trust is likely to have weaker legs when the fourth quarter begins on Wednesday than Dallas’ primary contributors.

Deal with Herro’s shooting and playmaking.Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on April 9, 2024, in Charlotte, NC. Photograph by David Jensen/Getty Images.
Herro missed Dallas’ win over the Heat due to a foot injury incurred in late February. His scoring and playmaking abilities provide Miami with three excellent offensive options in addition to Butler and Adebayo.Herro is tying his career high in scoring this season, averaging 20.7 points per game.

Despite shooting just 4-for-13 from long on Tuesday, he went on to lead the Heat with 33 points and five rebounds on 13-of-25 from the field. He was successful in the midrange game and got to the basket successfully against the Hawks.

Acquiring trade deadlines Terry Rozier Jr. (27 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds) and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson (19 points) led Miami’s charge against the Mavs in their first meeting of the season, but neither played Tuesday night against the Hawks.To keep Miami close in the Mavs’ March victory, they combined to shoot 10-of-18 from three.

Robinson did not feel like himself after recovering from a recent back injury and was ruled out of Tuesday’s game, with no timetable for his return, according to the Miami Herald. Rozier apparently has a neck injury. At the time of writing, it is uncertain whether either will suit up on Wednesday.

Get good minutes from the secondary team.
The Mavs bench shot 15-of-26 from the field against the Hornets (19-60) on Tuesday, but that level of production has been more difficult to come by this season. In the Mavericks’ previous four games, the bench shot only 26-of-82 (31.7%) from the field, including two particularly concerning outings against the Golden State Warriors, when non-starters shot a combined 11-of-38 (28.9%) from the floor.

Keeping their heads above water in non-Luka minutes will be critical for the Mavericks against Miami on Wednesday. The Heat are a playoff club protecting their home floor with a chance to catch the Philadelphia 76ers for the 7-seed in the East. The Mavs don’t need to rely just on Dončić and Irving.

BONUS: Standing Watch
The Mavericks were fifth in the Western Conference playoff standings heading into Wednesday’s game. The Los Angeles Clippers’ 105-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday ensures the Mavericks will finish no worse than sixth place. At this moment, however, there is little hope of surpassing the Clippers for the fourth seed.

Dallas can secure the 5-seed with one win in the final three games of the season, as well as one loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s becoming increasingly likely that the Mavs will face the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.

Is that a matchup anyone’s interested in? We are thinking yes.