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Miami Heat Remain Winless, Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo Triple Double
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- Miami Heat Remain Winless, Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo Triple Double
(Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
MIAMI, Fla. – The Miami Heat remain winless (0-4) to start the 2026-27 NBA season, despite a triple-double performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo in a 113-109 outing against the Dallas Mavericks at the Kaseya Center on Monday night.
Once again, the "Greek Freak" left a remarkable impression on the local South Florida fanbase with dominance on the court, including a posterizing dunk over veteran center Daniel Gafford. Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points on 52.2 percent shooting, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, and a block in 39 minutes.
Before tipoff, the 31-year-old had 59 career triple-doubles, counting three in the playoffs.
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Outside of a struggling 14-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets, Antetokounmpo has played like an MVP-caliber player.
The Heat had several contributors, as four other players reached double figures in scoring, including a 10-point and 12-rebound double-double by Bobby Portis Jr. off the bench.
Meanwhile, three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo continues to have a slow start to the season. He finished with eight points on 30 percent shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks in 30 minutes. Adebayo missed on all five shot attempts from behind the arc.
Dru Smith didn't have the flashiest game, but in 15 minutes, he was only one of three Heat players to finish with a positive plus-minus (+4).
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In Cooper Flagg's first return since suffering a shoulder injury, the former No. 1 pick didn't appear to have any sort of rust. The 19-year-old finished with 29 points on 52.2 percent shooting, six rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and two blocks in 40 minutes. As the Mavericks led by two in the final seconds of regulation, Flagg blocked Andrew Wiggins' corner three-point attempt, which would've flipped the scoreboard had it gone in.
Two-way guard Walter Clayton Jr. had an impactful performance upon returning to the Sunshine State. The former Florida Gators National Champion had 15 points on 85.7 percent shooting, four rebounds, four assists, and a block in 17 minutes. Clayton Jr. had a game-high +22 plus-minus.
Although the Heat, who entered the game with the league's worst three-point shooting defense (allowing 42 percent of shots made behind the arc), held the Mavericks to 31.1 percent (14-of-45), the inefficient free-throw shooting proved to be costly. Finishing with 25 total attempts, only 14 were made (56 percent).
While Adebayo struggles, the Heat have yet to capitalize on Antetokounmpo's greatness. Another opportunity will present itself on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks in State Farm Arena (GA).
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