Heat-Mavericks Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Miami Heat (29-27) at Dallas Mavericks (34-21)

After hitting an icy patch, the Dallas Mavericks are once again steering in the right direction.

In the midst of four games in five nights, the Mavericks have incorporated newcomers Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson into the fold without ever touching the practice court with the trio. The end result has still been winning basketball when the games have rolled around.

"This is four in five nights, so we are practicing and at the same time we're playing. Games are our practice. And we're a veteran ball club, so I think that helps," point guard Jason Kidd said.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Mavs haven't used the lack of practice time as an excuse, racking up back-to-back wins against would-be playoff teams, the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic. Now the Mavericks go for their third straight win against a play-contending squad, welcoming the Miami Heat to the American Airlines Center on Saturday night.

"We've been a bit of a streaky team. We have the ability to go on hot streaks as well," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.

Both the Mavs and the Heat enter the game concluding a four-in-five stretch. But a bit of fortune could help the Mavs remain hot and could hand them their 12th straight regular season win against Miami.

The Heat will be playing without All-Star Game MVP Dwyane Wade, due to the explosive guard's battle with a strained calf. Wade finished with a game-high 28 points, on just 8-of-24 shooting, in the Mavs' 106-93 road win on Dec. 11.

Still, Miami enters Saturday night's matchup riding a five-game winning streak. That includes the Heat's 100-87 double overtime win in Memphis on Friday night, done without Wade in the lineup.

But the Mavericks have won 11 straight regular season games against the Heat by an average of 13.8 points. Dallas' head play-caller is once again looking for the Mavericks' offense to exploit a trapping Heat defense, as it did in December. That day, the Mavericks dished out 30 assists on their 39 made field goals, finishing the night shooting 49 percent from the field.

"Miami does a great job on initial defensive action, so you're going to have to move it to get good shots. Fortunately for us, our shot-making was good through the majority of the game and when you move the ball and make shots you get a lot of assists," Carlisle said after the December win against the Heat.

(Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Now, the new-look Mavericks try to sweep the season series against the Miami squad. But for the Mavs to continue to be successful, the ball must continue to find its way into Kidd's hands.

Kidd has been instrumental in getting the new additions acclimated to their new surroundings. The pass-first veteran has also given a jolt to the Mavericks' transition offense, allowing the team to get easy scores without running plays. Plays that Butler, Haywood and Stevenson may not know due to their lack of practice time.

"When we get stops and get the ball into Jason Kidd's hands in transition, great things happen for us," Carlisle said.

Now Kidd tries to lead the Mavs to their third straight win. The Heat-Mavericks matchup will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.