Heat vs Mavericks Prediction NBA Picks 3/7/24

Dallas Mavericks (34-27) vs Miami Heat (34-26)

Game Info: Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 7:30 pm (American Airlines Center)

Betting Odds: Dallas Mavericks -4.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks duke it out at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night. Here’s a Heat vs Mavs Prediction.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have been in great shape as they've won 11 of their last 14 games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight win after outlasting the Pistons in a 118-110 win on Tuesday. Jimmy Butler led the team with 26 points and eight assists, Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo each scored 18 points while Terry Rozier chipped in with 17 points and seven assists. As a team, the Heat shot 49 percent from the field and 14 of 31 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 36 points in the first quarter to take the early lead, but they found themselves in a real arm wrestle with the Pistons and needed a 12-5 run in the final 2:28 to escape with the narrow win in the end.

Dallas Mavericks

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have been in a real funk as they've lost five of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to snap a three-game skid after getting routed by the Pacers in a 137-120 loss on Tuesday. Luka Doncic led the team with a triple-double of 39 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Kyrie Irving added 23 points while PJ Washington chipped in with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Mavericks shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 39 from the 3-point line as they hung in the contest, despite allowing 74 points in the first half, only to go cold and score just 18 points in the third quarter to trail by as many as 20 points.

Dallas Mavericks Player Facts

P.J. Washington is one of only two players to have scored 40+ points off the bench in a game this season.
Kyrie Irving ranks 7th amongst qualified players for FT% (89.6%) this season.

Miami Heat Player Facts

Bam Adebayo ranks 3rd amongst qualified Forwards for rebounds per game (10.3) this season.
Terry Rozier ranks 8th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for assists per game (6.3) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The Mavericks rank 2nd in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (4.0).
The Mavericks rank 2nd in the league for three-point field goal attempts per game this season (40.0).
The Heat rank 30th in the league for blocks per game this season (3.4).
The Heat rank 29th in the league for Q4 points per game this season (25.8).

Heat vs Mavs Prediction

The Heat are still missing some players with Josh Richardson, Kevin Love and Tyler Herro all out, while the Mavericks should have a full squad for this one. The Heat are playing some of their best basketball of the season despite being a little banged up, while the Mavericks have gone cold lately and they just got thrashed by the Pacers in an ugly loss on Tuesday. The Mavericks will turn things around sooner or later and they have all their key players healthy which is such a luxury in today's league, but I'm sticking with the Heat who are just too tempting as the underdog here.