PREVIEW: The Dallas Mavericks visit the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. EST , marking a clash between two teams moving in opposite directions. Dallas has struggled through the season with 13 losses in their first 18 games , while Miami has won seven of their last nine contests. The Mavericks excel defensively by limiting three-point attempts—ranked first in that category—but they struggle with free throw shooting efficiency at 74.6 percent. The Mavericks are without Dereck Lively, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Dante Exum, while Miami has ruled out Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic. Miami's offense operates at the fastest pace in the league and features excellent ball movement with a top-three ranking in passing quality , creating a stark contrast to Dallas's struggling offensive output. However, the Heat's defense remains vulnerable to perimeter shooting, allowing the highest volume of three-point attempts in the NBA at 46.4 percent. The Heat dismantled Philadelphia 127-117 in their most recent outing, with Norman Powell scoring 32 points as the team shot 49 percent from the field. Though Miami plays the second night of a back-to-back, their momentum and talent should allow them to capitalize against this depleted Mavericks squad.