1. DIRK/WADE LOVEFEST: Did you see that lovefest between Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, when they changed jerseys and took some photos immediately after the game? Those two battled each other fiercely in the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals – with each one winning a title — and there was no love lost between the two at the time. But as Nowitzki said during his postgame interview session, he didn’t love any of the San Antonio Spurs, either. It was just business. And at the end of the day, they’re all one big happy NBA family. As a footnote, Nowitzki and Wade will be first-time Hall of Famers, and will likely go in during the same year.
  2. CLOSE, BUT NO TRIPLE-DOUBLE: Unfortunately for rookie Luka Doncic, he came up one assist shy of registering his fourth triple-double of the season. And this was a really tough one for Doncic to swallow simply because he went into the fourth quarter needing only one assist to get his fourth triple-double and become the first member of the Mavs to collect four triple-doubles in one season since Michael Finley did it in the 1999-’00 season. Doncic finished the game with 18 points, a career-high tying 12 rebounds and nine assists, and was 5-of-17 from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc while also committing six turnovers.
  3. HARDAWAY HITS THE 20-POINT BARRIER: Tim Hardaway Jr. is making himself comfortable in the Mavs’ lineup. Hardaway finished Wednesday’s contest with 20 points, two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes. He was 7-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-11 from behind the 3-point line. It was the second time in the last three games that Hardaway has scored at least 20 points. He also poured in 24 points during the Mavs’ 102-101 victory over Portland this past Sunday afternoon as he goes into the All-Star break with a good feel for what his role will be after joining the Mavs in last month’s blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks.
  4. DIRK IN DOUBLE-FIGURES AGAIN: As the fans keep raising the roof every time he enters the game, Dirk Nowitzki keeps trying to make sure everyone has a wonderful night at the game in what may be his final season – although he hasn’t made such a claim. Against the Heat, it only took Nowitzki 17 minutes to pour in 12 points. Nowitzki was 5-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-10 from 3-point territory. It was the third double-figure scoring game of the season for Nowitzki. Earlier, the 21-year veteran tallied 11 points at New Orleans on Dec. 28 and he also scored a season-high 14 points at New York against the Knicks on Jan. 30.
  5. SLUGGISH THIRD QUARTER: Although they hadn’t put in separation between themselves and the Heat, the Mavs did hold a slim 58-57 lead over Miami at intermission. Then came the brutal third quarter. The very long and brutal third quarter. During that 12-minute span, the Heat took complete control of the game by outscoring the Mavs, 32-16, and carried an 89-74 lead into the fourth quarter. How bad was the third quarter for the Mavs? They were just 4-of-22 from the floor – including 2-of-17 from 3-point range — and committed four turnovers, and subsequently never got closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter.

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