Kyrie Irving’s 3-point shot spent Monday night filing complaints with the rim. He went 2-for-11 from beyond the arc and 7-for-17 overall, yet the Dallas Mavericks still beat Miami 113-109 because Irving kept contributing after the jumper stopped cooperating.
That was the shape of a useful, imperfect night for Dallas, which improved to 2-2 while sending Miami to 0-4. Irving scored 18 points, handed out six assists and grabbed six rebounds, three of them on the offensive glass. His scoring was uneven, but his passing and rebounding helped keep the Mavericks from turning every missed jumper into a dead possession.
The fourth quarter offered the clearest example. Miami began the period ahead 84-83, then Dru Smith’s 3-pointer made it 87-83. At 11:28, Irving was credited with the assist on Max Christie’s 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 87-86. After Giannis Antetokounmpo restored Miami’s four-point edge, Irving assisted Zaccharie Risacher’s 3-pointer at 9:11. Risacher’s free throw soon tied the game at 90.
Those assists were valuable without being magical. They did not instantly swing the game or put Dallas in command. They helped the Mavericks answer Miami’s small bursts and kept the fourth quarter from becoming a slow retreat. Basketball occasionally offers a less glamorous form of creation: make the next good play when the last few shots have gone sour.
Irving’s most consequential assist came much later. With 2:02 remaining, Cooper Flagg caught the ball and made a 3-pointer credited to Irving for the assist, giving Dallas a 111-105 lead. The sequence did not end the game, but it created breathing room after Miami had kept the margin within reach.
Flagg’s shot became especially important because the Heat continued to get chances near the basket in the closing minute.
Irving’s rebounding supplied another kind of offensive value. In the first quarter, he missed a driving layup at 10:23 and secured the offensive rebound before missing a 24-foot 3-pointer on the same possession. Later, after Marcus Sasser missed a 22-foot 3-pointer with 36.1 seconds left in the quarter, Irving collected another offensive rebound.
Neither board produced points by itself, but each prevented Miami from immediately ending the possession with a defensive rebound.
Dallas finished with 13 offensive rebounds and 51 total rebounds to Miami’s 42. Irving was one contributor rather than the whole explanation: P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford also had three offensive rebounds apiece, while Morez Johnson Jr. added one.
Still, six rebounds from Irving while he was missing perimeter shots gave Dallas extra chances during a game in which it made 14 of 46 3-point attempts.
The rough edges remained visible in the final minutes. At 3:11, Irving committed a bad-pass turnover. Miami scored on Bam Adebayo’s dunk at 3:08, cutting Dallas’ lead to 106-103.
