Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat

Dragic's triple-double lifts Heat past Mavs, 105-99

Miami got the better of both.

"It felt like we were in Ljubljana," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, speaking of the Slovenian capital.

"He's the old Don and Luka is the new up-and-coming," Wade said about Dragic. "So it was great to see him play that way."

"It was great. Honestly maybe for the first time in my career I was nervous before the game," Doncic said. "It was different for me, but it was a special night."

Dion Waiters scored 17 points for the Heat, who improved to just 4-29 in games where they trailed entering the fourth quarter. Dallas led 82-75 going into the final period, but the Heat outscored the Mavericks 30-17 in the last 12 minutes.

Dallas led by 11 points in the first half, and took a 59-49 lead into the locker room after a tip dunk by Dorian Finney-Smith beat the halftime buzzer. But Wade hit a jumper with 1:11 left to put Miami on top for good, Doncic missed a long 3-pointer on the next Dallas trip down the floor and Dragic extended Miami's lead to 100-97 with a nifty up-and-under move on the ensuing Heat possession.

And with that, the building roared. The Miami fans might have even been drowned out. Countless Slovenia jerseys were spotted in the stands, along with scarves bearing the country's name, all for very good reason.

They were there for Dragic vs. Doncic.

They got a show, too.

"To buy a ticket, to fly from a different continent here and to stay here and support us, it's something amazing," Dragic said, before he went back out, addressed the crowd 30 minutes after the game and signed autographs.

"He looks like he's got a couple years left," Nowitzki said about Wade. "He can still take games over, he's making good decisions with the ball, he's still athletic enough to get by people. So to me, he looks great."

It was the 35th and final time Wade and Nowitzki went head-to-head, including playoffs. Wade won the series, 18-17.

"This was the most I've ever guarded Dirk," Wade said. "It was cool."

TIP-INS

DIRK IN MIAMI

This was the 27th time Nowitzki appeared in a game at Miami; the Mavs went 13-14 in those games, the most notable win being the title-clinching Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals. He says being in Miami brings back memories of both "the most epic collapse" in the 2006 finals, and the 2011 victory. "Little bit of mixed emotions, but usually, the good memories win," Nowitzki said.

HEAT LINEUPS

UP NEXT

Mavericks: At Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Heat: At New York on Saturday.

Regular Season Series

MIA wins series 2-0