The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 129-122, at Miami-Dade Arena on Saturday.

The Heat (41-37) and the Mavericks (37-41) are both vying to earn a playoff berth in their respective conferences, and Miami took a giant step in that regard with the win here. Miami enjoyed an excellent start and finished with a 13-point lead following the first quarter thanks to a 44-31 score. The Mavericks showed signs of life in the second quarter and won it 33-32, but the Heat still held a 12-point lead at the break. Dallas kept attempting a comeback and reduced the deficit to six points following a 32-26 score. However, Miami tightened things up when it mattered the most, and they closed the game after a 27-26 score in the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 35 points and 12 assists. Cody Zeller started in place of Bam Adebayo and was impressive, as he ended with 20 points and eight rebounds. Max Strus finished with 18 points and four boards. Tyler Herro recorded 15 points and six rebounds. Kevin Love thrived off the bench and finished with 18 points and five boards. The Heat shot 52.3 percent from the field.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks and came close to a triple-double after posting 42 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving posted 23 points and eight assists while adding three boards. Tim Hardaway notched 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Dallas shot 61 percent from the field.