Game Preview: Mavericks v Heat

The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center on
Monday evening. The Mavericks (23-35) are coming off a solid 96-83 win over the
Pelicans on Saturday, where Harrison Barnes led the way with 19 points and Dirk
Nowitzki followed up with 18. New addition Nerlens Noel was solid in the win, as
he chipped in nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench.
Dallas sits 11th in the West and has been inching towards that eighth spot for a
while now. The Mavs are 5-5 in their last 10 games and sit only 2.5 games behind
the eighth-place Nuggets. They have won three of their last four games at home,
where they are 15-14 so far this season. The new-look Mavs are running Seth
Curry and Yogi Ferrell as their starting guards, since waiving Deron Williams,
while the addition of Noel gives them a solid boost off the bench. Barnes leads
the Mavs with an average of 20.0 points per game. J.J. Barea (calf) will remain
sidelined through Monday. Meanwhile, the Heat (27-32) are also pushing towards
the eighth spot in their respective conference, as they have won three straight
and sit only one game behind the eighth-place Pistons. The Heat are coming off a
solid 113-95 win over the Pacers on Saturday, where Hassan Whiteside led the way
with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic each also topped
20 points in the win. The trio of Whiteside, Dragic and Waiters is emerging as a
solid big-three, as they have led the Heat through an amazing stretch over the
last couple of months. The Heat are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have won two
straight on the road, where they are 13-18 so far this season.