Cooper Flagg Leads Dallas Past Winless Heat 113-109 in Miami

Cooper Flagg finished with 29 points and 11 assists, and his block in the closing seconds protected a narrow lead as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 113-109 on Monday night. The loss left Miami without a win through four games this season.

With 31 seconds remaining, Flagg swatted a three-point attempt from Andrew Wiggins that would have put the Heat in front. Dallas held a two-point edge at that moment and kept it from there. Flagg scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.

Flagg had plenty of help. PJ Washington added 20 points for the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving scored 18 and Walter Clayton Jr. contributed 15.

For Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double since joining the Heat, with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Davion Mitchell chipped in 21 points. It was not enough to avoid a historical footnote: this is the fifth time the franchise has begun a season 0-4, and the first since 2008-09.

The Heat opened sluggishly and trailed 19-11 about halfway through the first quarter. They then turned the game around, outscoring Dallas 37-17 across the next 12 minutes to build a 12-point advantage, their largest lead of the season so far.

That cushion disappeared. The Mavericks took a 53-52 edge into halftime, and the teams traded the lead in the third quarter. Miami pushed ahead by 10 shortly after the break but only held an 84-83 advantage heading into the final period.

Dallas regained the lead around the midpoint of the fourth quarter and stayed in front the rest of the way. Free throws hurt Miami badly, as the Heat missed 11 of their 25 attempts.

The matchup also marked the first meeting between Dallas coach Dusty May, in his first season with the Mavericks, and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. May guided nearby Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, and his son, Jack, worked in Miami's video room before joining the Dallas staff under his father.

Spoelstra had praise for his counterpart, who led Michigan to the 2026 NCAA title. "He's a heck of a coach," Spoelstra said. "There's no doubt about it."

Both teams are back in action on Wednesday night. The Mavericks host Oklahoma City, while the Heat travel to face Atlanta.