Since winning Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks haven’t won a game versus the Miami Heat. The Dirk Nowitzki-led team looks to change that by winning their third game in a row against a Heat squad which have won four of their last five games.

The Mavs took care of easy games winning over the Milwaukee Bucks, 91-83, and Washington Wizards, 105-95, in their last two. Monta Ellis top-scored for Dallas in the game against his former team, even as Nowitzki had 16 points and Shawn Marion with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Against the Wiz, Ellis and Nowitzki combined for 38 points.

The Heat, meanwhile, would have been perfect in their last five, if not for the buzzer-beater loss to the Boston Celtics, 111-110. Miami responded well after that defeat with a 118-95 win over the Bucks, led by LeBron James’ 33-point performance. The surprise contributor was Michael Beasley, who came off the bench shooting 8-of-12 from the field for 19 points.

“He’s playing hard. We don’t care if you make mistakes when you play hard. And that’s one thing, he’s not always in the right place – none of us are always in the right place – but he’s covering up for it because he’s playing hard. Defensively he’s in tune and he’s getting better,” said James of Beasley in the team’s official Web site.

James has averages of 28.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG in four wins vs. Dallas since losing the championship in 2011. The Heat have also dominated in those wins averaging a margin of victory of 14.5 points and covering the spread three out of four times.

With his 19-point effort against Washington, the 35-year-old Nowitzki passed the great Jerry West in the all-time scoring list.

Betting Against the Spread (ATS)
Betting Lines: Dallas Mavericks (+8.5) vs. Miami Heat (O/U: 207.5)

Dallas Mavericks Trends
 - Mavericks are 37-18 in their last 55 games
- Mavericks are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games on the road
- Mavericks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. Southwest division teams
- Mavericks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games vs. East teams

Miami Heat Trends
 - Heat are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games
- Heat are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. teams with losing road records
- Heat are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games after a win
- Heat are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games after an ATS win