Triple Double in a Loss

The frustration was visible from Luka Doncic, as the All-Star did everything he could against the Pacers. Doncic finished with 39 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, and still lost by 17 on their home floor. Doncic has scored 37 or more points and got a triple-double in each of his last three games, all of which were losses. The Mavericks have now lost five of their last six, even though no one on their team is injured. Doncic had the big game against Indiana, and Kyrie Irving added another 23, but their defense gave up 137 points in the loss.

Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring with 34.6 PPG, and has scored 30 or more in all eight games since the All-Star Break. He also leads the team in assists with 9.8 per game, and rebounds with 9.0 per game. Doncic is playing as well as possible lately, as he has shot over 50% from the field in each of his last three triple-doubles. Kyrie Irving provides extra scoring, he gets 25.7 PPG to go with 5.1 APG. Irving has scored 19 or more in each of his last 10 games. Tim Hardaway Jr. is their third leading scorer, but comes off the bench to lead the second unit scoring 16.3 PPG. PJ Washington is their only other scorer in double figures, he has been with the team for just 10 games, and is averaging 12.4 PPG in those appearances.

Against the Pacers they started Derrick Lively II on the inside, and Josh Green as a shooter on the wing. Both Lively and Green average exactly 8.8 PPG. Dallas is ranked 6th in offensive efficiency and 24th in defensive efficiency. They are currently playing at the 9th fastest pace in the NBA.

Heat win Seven of Eight

The Miami Heat are playing some of the best basketball in the Eastern Conference, as they have won seven of their last eight games. Their only loss came against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. They have been exceeding expectations in the stretch, as they were underdogs in four of their wins including wins over Milwaukee, Philly, New Orleans and Sacramento. In their most recent game, they were led by Jimmy Butler with 26 points in the win over Detroit.

Butler is the leading scorer for the Heat with 21.9 PPG, and leads the team in assists from the small forward position with 4.8 per game. Butler has been hot lately, scoring 20 or more in each of his last five games, including a 37 point game in a win over Utah. Tyler Herro is their 2nd leading scorer, but he has missed the last few games with a knee injury. Bam Adebayo is averaging a double-double inside with 20.4 PPG and 10.3 RPG. Duncan Robinson is their top available shooter, he makes 2.8 threes per game on 40.6% shooting from deep, and adds 13.3 PPG. Terry Rozier came over from the Hornets, and is averaging 13.9 PPG in his 14 games with the team.

Against the Pistons, they started Nikola Jovic, he is a 20-year old project that is averaging 6.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG on the year. Caleb Martin and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have been getting the most minutes off the bench in recent games. Miami ranks 20th in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Heat play at a slow pace, they are only 28th in the league in pace of play.