Flagg's 29 and 11, Plus the Block on Wiggins: Mavs Steal One in Miami, 113-109, and Get Back to .500

By Marcus Delaney, RF Sports Radio Mavericks voice

Mavs Nation, 48 hours ago we were worried about Cooper Flagg's shoulder. Monday night in Miami, the 19-year-old answered with maybe the best all-around game of his young career, and Dallas left South Florida at 2-2.

The facts

Flagg had 29 points and 11 assists, plus six rebounds, five steals and three blocks, in a 113-109 win over the Heat, per the Associated Press recap on NBA.com. He scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter. With 31 seconds left and Dallas up two, he blocked Andrew Wiggins' 3-point try, which would have given Miami the lead.

PJ Washington added 20 points, Kyrie Irving scored 18 in his return from knee management, and Walter Clayton Jr. had 15. On the other side, Giannis Antetokounmpo had his first triple-double with Miami, 29 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, and Davion Mitchell scored 21. The Heat are 0-4 for the first time since 2008-09, per the AP.

It was not pretty early. Dallas led 19-11, then Miami outscored the Mavs 37-17 over the next 12 minutes and went up 12. Dallas led 53-52 at the half and trailed 84-83 after three before taking the lead for good midway through the fourth. Miami missed 11 of its 25 free throws. The official box lists Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Santi Aldama and Hassan Biberović as inactive.

It was also the first meeting between Dusty May and Erik Spoelstra. "He's a heck of a coach," Spoelstra said of May. "There's no doubt about it."

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: the stat line is great, but the block is what I will remember. A rookie who was questionable with a sprained shoulder 24 hours earlier went up against a veteran shooter in the final minute of a road game and won the play. You cannot coach that. Eleven assists also tells me Flagg is seeing the floor, not just hunting shots.

I am less excited about the middle of the game. Giving up a 37-17 run to a winless team is a warning sign, and Miami beat Dallas in the paint, 48-44, per the official box. Without Lively, the Mavs are going to have nights where size is a problem. They got away with it because the Heat could not make free throws, and I would not count on that again.

Still, this is the bounce-back I asked for after the Spurs loss. A road win with Irving back and Flagg healthy keeps the early season from getting away.

What to watch next

Oklahoma City comes to town on Wednesday, the first home game since that Spurs loss. Watch Flagg's minutes and shoulder, whether Marshall clears the illness, and who May trusts at center with Lively out. For the pregame injury picture, read our Oct. 26 Mavericks pregame column, and follow the Dallas Mavericks page for Wednesday's preview.

Radio question: was Flagg's block on Wiggins the moment this rookie became the Mavericks' closer?

Sources: NBA.com (AP recap) - Mavericks 113, Heat 109 game summary; NBA official scorer's report - DAL at MIA final box; Basketball-Reference - Mavericks vs Heat, October 26, 2026.