Heat blow fourth-quarter lead to Mavericks, fall to 0-4 despite Giannis Antetokounmpo triple-double

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to fill up the box rating. But it’s not translating to wins for the Miami Heat.

On the heels of three straight losses to begin the season, the Heat held a 90-84 lead early in the fourth quarter at home against the Dallas Mavericks Monday night time. But Cooper Flagg took over down the stretch with 12 of his 29 factors in the ultimate stanza to lead the Mavericks to a 113-109 win.

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Flagg added 11 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks and appears just wonderful after lacking a recreation with a shoulder pressure.

Giannis triple-double, but no win

The loss for Miami spoiled another massive effort from Antetokounmpo, who tallied 29 factors, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double since becoming a member of Miami from the Milwaukee Bucks. It also dropped the Heat to 0-4, in a determined search for the first win of the season.

Three of those losses have come at home, and the buzz of the Giannis period has shortly given method to anxiety in Miami. Antetokounmpo’s former staff, the Bucks, picked up their first victory of the season on Monday, beating the Indiana Pacers 110-102.

What’s unsuitable with the Heat?

The loss continues a pattern for the Giannis Heat, who have obtained massive efforts from the former MVP in each of his 4 begins. Antetokounmpo entered Monday averaging 28.3 factors, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals through his first three video games.

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But those video games resulted in double-digit losses at home to the Timberwolves and Pistons and a 115-110 highway loss to the Hornets on Saturday. The season-opening national TV showcase against the Wolves shortly turned into a 131-106 laugher in Minnesota’s favor.

The shutdown protection that was expected from the frontline tandem of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo has yet to materialize as the Heat have surrendered 113-plus factors in each of their 4 video games. And the Heat are struggling to discover a dependable second option on offense behind a ball-dominant Antetokounmpo.

Davion Mitchell so far appears like it. He entered Monday averaging 17 factors and posted 21 against the Mavericks. But it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

The Heat are also struggling to control the boards and have lost the rebounding margin in each of their 4 video games. With the Mavericks’ 51-42 edge Monday night time, the Heat have a 202-152 rebounding deficit through 4 video games.

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It’s early, of course, but this certainly is not how the Heat envisioned the begin of their new period after the high-profile offseason deal to purchase Antetokounmpo. Their next probabilities to get into the win column come on the highway on Wednesday against the Hawks and at home on Friday against the Pacers.

From there, they’ll embark on a five-game West Coast swing with video games against the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Kings and Jazz. Starting a journey like that without a win does not sound like a good time.