The reeling Dallas Mavericks will take on the red-hot and scorching Miami Heat Thursday night inside American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. This should be a fun game to watch and perhaps a high-scoring one. 

Bookmaker has the Mavericks installed as a solid - 4.5-point favorite in this clash. 

The Mavericks (34-28) are a hit-or-miss team. They have had some nice wins this season, but they have followed them up with some rough losses. They are definitely the definition of a very inconsistent team. They have dropped three straight and five out of six overall. 

On offense, they have some serious talent on the roster, including a proven scorer and offensive threat in Luka Doncic. He is averaging around 34 points per game and adding nine rebounds. He loves to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, too. 

They will look to get him involved early, and that will fall on Kyrie Irving's play. Irving is netting around 25 points per game to go along with five assists. He is still one of the best playmakers in the league when engaged. 

The Heat (35-26) have been on fire of late, winning seven of eight games overall and pushing their record to nine games over .500 on the season. They are a very talented team, and they know that if they get into the playoffs, they can be a dangerous team as well. 

They have a nice mix of veteran players and some young talent. On offense, they are led by veteran shooting guard and playmaker Jimmy Butler, who can still score points. He is averaging 21 points per contest and five rebounds. 

They also get solid contributions from Tyler Herro, but he has been dealing with a knee issue and will not be traveling with the team for what appears to be a couple of games. He has played well this season, averaging around 20 a game, and has had some big moments already. He will be missed, so the Heat must get production from their role players off the bench. 

Look for the Heat to rely more on their three-point shooting and get their half-court offense set and rolling. 

The Mavericks are 1-4 in their last five games and 2-3 in their previous five games against the number. They are a solid 18-11 in their road games against the spread, and the totals have gone over four out of their last five games overall. The Heat is 4-1 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number, and a very impressive 18-11 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games.