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 Deng scored a season-high 30 points as the Heat cruised to a
105-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night at American
Airlines Center.
The Heat (5-2) extended their winning streak over Dallas to seven
straight games, while improving to 2-1 on the road this season.
Miami has won two in a row on back-to-back nights after a two-game
skid.
"It's good for us and good for the team," Heat center Chris Bosh
said. "I am just proud of the way we played and the way we did it
with defense and sharing the ball. This is a very tough team,
especially on the road. That is one of the things we feel like we
can make a lot of improvement on.
"I am proud of our guys. We had a bunch of guys that stepped up.
Mario Chalmers and Luol Deng had fantastic games tonight, and you
never know where it's going to come from."
Deng surpassed his previous best scoring output in a Miami uniform
by 12 points and reached the 30-point plateau for the first time
since Dec. 2, 2013, when he was with Chicago.
 "We want everyone to feel they are in a rhythm and if the ball is
moving, everybody can have a chance to be aggressive but also be in
rhythm," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It might be a different
guy on different nights. You don't have to hunt for 30 points from
any one guy, but (Deng) is one of our primary attackers and scorers
and he does need to get his opportunities, and we have to work to
help him get comfortable.
"He was terrific tonight on the road and hit the big ones when we
needed them."
The veteran small forward, signed in the offseason to help offset
the loss of James, made 13 of 19 shots from the floor, including
four of nine 3-point attempts. Deng was critical in Miami getting
off to a strong start.
"He played hard," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He did
everything hard. He cut hard, he drove hard and he was terrific. His
shot was there. We let him get going early and never did enough to
disrupt his rhythm."
Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Bosh both notched 20-10 double-doubles.
Wade had 20 points and 10 assists, and Bosh scored 20 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds in his hometown.
"They are steady," Spoelstra said. "They are balancing that tough
thing of when to attack and create offense for us and when to
facilitate. They were both very poised with that tonight."
Chalmers scored 18 off the bench. Miami would shoot 55 percent for
the night, and knock down 12 of 20 3-pointers.
Dallas guard Monta Ellis scored a team-high 23, with center Tyson
Chandler netting his third double-double of the season with 16
points and 15 boards. Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki finished with
17 points, 16 coming in the first half.
The Mavericks cut into an 11-point halftime deficit with a strong
start to the third quarter, reversing a trend of poor play coming
out of halftime this season. Ellis carried the load, as Dallas used
an 11-2 run to cut Miami's lead to 63-59.
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Miami regained control with a 9-0 run and carried an 83-67 lead into
the fourth quarter. The Mavericks (4-3) didn't make a dent in the
final quarter while suffering their first home loss in three games
and second loss overall in three outings.
"I'm concerned with how we're competing as a team," Carlisle said.
"We just have a problem right now from top to bottom with
consistency. When our level of competiveness comes up to where it
should be on a consistent basis, a lot of our problems will
dissipate."
Deng's shooting helped stake the Heat to an early lead. Miami
finished the first quarter with an 11-0 run, punctuated by a
3-pointer from Deng for a 29-20 lead at the end of the period.
Bosh picked it up for the visitors in the second quarter, as the
lead reached double digits. Miami shot 60 percent for a 55-44 lead
at halftime, with 15 points each from Bosh and Deng.
The Mavericks looked frustrated, especially defensively, throughout
the half as the Heat continued to get open looks. Offensively, they
weren't much better, shooting just 37 percent, including just
3-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons missed all six of his shots in 15
first-half minutes, and was 1-for-9 for the game. He is only
2-for-20 shooting in the last two games while dealing with the
effects of an upper respiratory infection.
NOTES: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban raised the question before the
game of Oklahoma City sitting F Kevin Durant and G Russell Westbrook
for the rest of the season to possibly secure a high draft pick. The
absence of the Thunder stars has led to the team's 1-5 start. "I'm
not suggesting anything," Cuban said. "I'm just curious why the
question hasn't been asked because I'm curious what the answer is."
... Miami F Chris Bosh came into the game as one of only three
players in the league averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds
per game. ... Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki needs 17 points to surpass
Hall-of-Fame C Hakeem Olajuwon for ninth on the NBA's all-time
scoring list.
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