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Heat, Mavericks tip off in Big D

Nov 9, 2014 - 2:52 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Heat weren't so successful the last time away from home and look to get their road woes straightened out Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Miami was dealt a 96-89 loss in Charlotte on Wednesday and returned home Saturday to post a 102-92 victory over Minnesota. Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 25 points in almost 30 minutes of action and Chris Bosh continued his terrific season with 24 points and seven rebounds.

The Timberwolves cut the Miami lead to 90-86 with less than five minutes left in the game thanks to a 12-0 run. The Heat scored 12 of the next 18 points for the 10-point win and a 4-2 record.

"It was a good team win. For three quarters I really liked our disposition defensively," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Luol Deng and Norris Cole scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, for Miami, which made 52.6 percent of its shots and scored 23 points on 16 Minnesota turnovers. The Timberwolves were playing without point guard Ricky Rubio because of a sprained ankle.

Meanwhile, Bosh is sixth in the NBA with 24.2 points per game and has scored more than 20 points in all six games. Wade is shooting 60.7 percent (34-of-56) over his last four games and is four double-digit scoring games short of 700 in his career.

The Mavericks are 4-2 on the season as well and will play four in a row at home versus Miami, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Dallas posted a convincing 105-82 road beating of the Utah Jazz Friday, as Dirk Nowitzki led the charge with 27 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Tyson Chandler ended with 15 points and 13 boards, while Monta Ellis scored 13 points.

Utah had 23 turnovers, leading to 32 Dallas points, and its only lead was 2-0 on a Enes Kanter basket. Dallas led by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter.

"I just liked the vibe of the team. The ball was moving, execution was good, and guys were into it on both ends the whole night," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

Chandler Parsons only had five points in the win for the Mavs.

In milestone news, Nowitzki needs 34 points to pass the great Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) for ninth on the all-time scoring list. Olajuwon (Nigeria) is the only player born outside of the United States with more career points than the German Nowitzki.

Nowitzki (1,194) is three games away from passing Dikembe Mutombo (1,196) for 33rd on the NBA's all-time games played list. Derek Harper and Eddie Johnson both played in 1,199 games.

Nowitzki and the Mavs lost both meetings with Miami last season and are winless in the past six games in this series. The Heat have also won three in a row after losing nine straight in Big D.

Miami, of course, defeated Dallas in six games in the 2006 NBA Finals.