Dirk Nowitzki lifts Dallas Mavericks to an 86-83 victory over Miami Heat - NBA Finals Game-4
On Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks entered their home arena, badly needing a win to keep pace with the Miami Heat. They were desperate and translated their intensity on the court to stun the Miami Heat late in the fourth again and carve out an 86-83 win.
Nowitzki struggled throughout the game but rose to the occasion in the clutch again. He scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed 11rebounds, scoring 10 of his points in the final period, as the Mavericks tied the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
It was not a one-man show this time as Dallas played the game with a full team effort. Five players of Dallas scored points in double figures. Tyson Chandler was pivotal in setting up offensive screens for his team and finished with 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. The 28-year-old centre said after the game, "We just played with incredible heart and passion." Jason Terry came off the bench with 17 points while Shawn Marion had 16 points for the Mavs.
Dwyane Wade once again led the Heat with a game-high 32 points and six rebounds. Chris Bosh chipped in with 24 points and six rebounds. The biggest disappointment for the Heat was the disappearing act of LeBron James. James was not even a shadow of himself as he chipped in with just eight points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Dallas got off to a solid start as Nowitzki nailed three straight to give the Mavs a 6-0 lead. Nowitzki however lost his shooting touch and missed 10 of 11 shots in the ensuing passage. However, Dallas found some offence from their fringe players and managed to tie the game at 21 after 12 minutes.
Bosh scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half as Miami carried a 47-45 lead at halftime. In a closely contested third quarter, the Heat were vitalized by a 12-point spurt from Wade, who sparked his side to a 69-65 advantage, going into the fourth.
Dallas however outplayed Miami 21-9 over the last ten minutes of the fourth quarter to seal yet another comeback victory. With this victory, the Mavs avoided going down 3-1, a deficit no team has ever overcome in the finals.
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