For the Mavericks to get some traction going, there will need to be some changes on both sides of the court.

The Mavericks yet again have some first-half struggles, which put them in a bind late in games.

While they did better on the offensive end, their defense could not stop the Miami Heat's talented offense.

While this was such a disappointing loss, here are the three factors that led to their defeat.

Miami was on fire all night long

The Mavs had no answer for the Heat and their flashy offense as they had four players with more than 20 points.

Tyler Herro (led team with 25 points), Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry (22 points), and Bam Adebayo (22 points) all dominated the Mavs all over the court.

Luka Doncic led all scorers with 33 points, and Jalen Brunson followed up with 25 points and seven assists, but it was not enough to get them the win.

Until the Mavericks have better defensive formations, they will not have any chance at stopping opposing teams from scoring in the paint.

Lack of a defensive presence

The Mavericks have dealt with the lack of a true center or defensive presence since Tyson Chandler during their 2011 Champion run.

Dwight Powell does not have the physicality and toughness to be the player they can rely on in the paint on any given night.

Maxi Kleber is usually in the starting lineup at PF but with him nursing an oblique strain, he could not provide defensive help.

Moses Brown and Willie Cauley-Stein do not give you much consistency as they will occasionally make a good play or two.

Overall, the post positions are weaknesses for the Mavericks, they will need to bring in quality depth or it will continue to be a problem.

No contribution from the bench

The bench was almost nonexistent as Jason Kidd chose to add Jalen Brunson to the starting lineup due to the injuries to a few players.

Small Forward Reggie Bullock scored 10 points off the bench but no other player had more than four points.

Sterling Brown and Frank Ntilikina did not have great nights shooting the ball as they have shown in previous games.

Against a good team like the Heat, the Mavericks will need better performances from their role players if they want long-term success.

What's Next?

The Mavs have another back-to-back as they take on the San Antonio Spurs, who they defeated on Oct. 28th, 104-99.

The Spurs are not that great on the offensive end so the Mavericks will have an opportunity on a quick turnaround to get things together.

Kristaps Porzingis will hopefully be back after sitting out the last two games with a lower back injury.

Having Porzingis gives Dallas another scoring option but not so much on defense.

We will get to see tomorrow night how the Mavs respond after tonight's loss.

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