The Dallas Mavericks earned what’s easily their biggest win of the postseason June 9, holding off the Miami Heat, 112-103, in Game Five of the best-of-seven NBA Final series. The Mavericks now take a 3-2 series lead, one win away from earning their first title in franchise history.
Dallas received a strong performance from star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds. But Dirk wasn’t the only Maverick scoring crucial points. Guard Jose Juan Barea finished with 17 points, and guard Jason Terry added 21 points, including a big time three-pointer that iced the win for Dallas in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
“We made more shots,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the game. “We did a lot of good things defensively, which led to good offense. You never know when the games are going to go that way. The thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to make sure our defense is consistent.”
Dallas’ defense contained Heat guard Dwyane Wade, holding him to only 23 points, and limited forward Chris Bosh to just 19 points with 10 rebounds.
Before the game, Heat forward LeBron James said this was the “biggest game of his career.” He scored a triple-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but it still wasn’t enough to outscore the cast of Dallas.
“We’re a very resilient team. You know that,” Maverick guard Jason Terry said in the postgame interview with ABC Sports. “We’ve been in tough battles all playoffs long. It’s not going to stop. It’s going to get even harder. But we’re ready. We’re determined, and this is our time.”
Dallas will attempt to close out the series with in Game Six Sunday, June 12. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.