The Miami Heat opened 2021 with a whimper, losing 93-83 to the Dallas Mavericks that kept them winless on the road even with the welcome return of Jimmy Butler.
Unable to find an early spark, Miami fell behind early and could never get into any rhythm, with the team unable to overcome a lethal combination of historically bad 3-point shooting, turnovers, and very little offensively from the starting trio of Butler, Duncan Robinson and Andre Iguodala. They had no answer for Luka Doncic (27 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists), who helped lead the Mavs to an early lead that they would continue to pad throughout the game.