Against Heat, Mavs’ defensive upgrade will have to come without C-Wood

Luka Dončić knows what it’s like to be feeling it.

When the basket starts looking bigger, the step-back three-pointers are finding nothing but net and the post-ups are like shooting fish in a barrel, it’s a wonderful zone to be in.

Right now, Dončić is feeling it in a different way.

In his elbow. In his wrist. In his ankle and foot. Probably a few other body parts, too.

But the way the superstar point guard sees it, as long as his head is OK, he’s fine.

And there’s nothing wrong inside that noggin, or the Mavericks’ collective head, even if they have hit a slide lately with three losses in a row.

Getting past the aches and pains is part of the game.

“It’s a lot, but it’s a physical game,” Dončić said. “But it’s all part of the game. I just got to learn how to fall.”

Making light of it is a good way to deal with the hard-edged defense that Luka is seeing these days.

What would be even better is if the Mavericks could do the same to their opponents, starting when they welcome the Miami Heat to American Airlines Center on Friday night. Plus, keeping his team together, not fraying at the edges when things get tough – that’s what Dončić wants to do now in a big way.

The Mavericks are desperate for a win. They are slipping in the Western Conference standings and after losing the opener of this four-game homestand to Atlanta on Wednesday, they can’t afford any more lapses on the home floor.

But their heads are in the right place.

“I think a lot of guys are motivated, ready to go against the Heat,” said Josh Green, who returned Wednesday from an elbow sprain that cost him 20 games. “It’s a situation where we need a win. We’ve dropped the last three. Now it’s a matter of being able to turn it around and be ready to go.”

It will start with defense. The Mavericks have given up at least 130 points in all three games during the losing streak.

“That’s not going to win any game,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Everybody is scoring, or capable of scoring. So you got to play defense. And right now, we’re not playing any defense.”

Changing that, along with keeping Luka perpendicular, will be the priority against the Heat.

Here’s a few other things to watch for against Miami:

• The Heat have been up and down this season and at this point, it’s more up than down. They have won four of their last five and this game will complete a three-game trip that started with a loss at Atlanta and a win at New Orleans.
• Like the Mavericks, the Heat plays a slower pace than most teams. But unlike the Mavericks, they are very sticky defensively, ranking fourth in overall defensive rating.
• They are a rarity in that they have three players averaging 20-plus points: Jimmy Butler (22), Bam Adebayo (21.5) and Tyler Herro (20.8). In the 124-98 win over New Orleans Wednesday, the Heat was up 70-51 at halftime and their bench got a long run, so everybody should be fresh for this one. They have a deep team with four other players averaging in double figures behind the big three.
• The Mavericks thought they were getting healthier. But news came Thursday that Christian Wood will be out until next week with a fracture in his left thumb, suffered in the second quarter against Atlanta on Wednesday. Wood played the rest of the game, but will sit out and be re-evaluated next week. Dorian Finney-Smith was back in the starting lineup after a 14-game absence and Green was back in his sixth-man role after 20 games out, so the rotation looked a little more normal. But their rebounding will be tested again without Wood on the floor.
• MIAMI HEAT (25-21) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (24-22)
• When: 6:30 p.m., Friday.
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: Bally’s Sports Southwest, ESPN.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).
• Twitter: @ESefko