Giannis gets his first Heat triple-double and Miami still falls to 0-4

Giannis Antetokounmpo did his part on Monday night. He had 29 points and 11 assists for his first triple-double since joining the Miami Heat. Miami lost anyway, 113-109 at home to the Dallas Mavericks, and is now 0-4.

According to the Associated Press, it's the fifth 0-4 start in Heat history and the first since 2008-09.

The loss is easy to trace. Miami went 14 of 25 from the free-throw line. Dallas went 13 of 14. In a four-point game, that's the whole thing.

It's also a game the Heat had. They trailed 19-11 midway through the first quarter, then outscored Dallas 37-17 over the next 12 minutes to go up 12, their biggest lead of the season. Dallas led by one at halftime. Miami pushed back ahead by 10 early in the third and still led 84-83 going into the fourth. The Mavericks took the lead midway through the quarter and never gave it back.

The last chance went to Andrew Wiggins, who rose for a 3 with 31 seconds left and the Heat down two. Cooper Flagg, 19, blocked it. Flagg finished with 29 points, 11 assists, five steals and three blocks, and he scored 12 in the fourth.

The supporting cast around Antetokounmpo didn't help much. Bam Adebayo scored eight on 3-of-10 shooting and went 0 for 5 from 3. Klay Thompson played 15 minutes and went 2 for 8. Davion Mitchell's 21 points were the bright spot, and Wiggins and Pelle Larsson each scored 12.

Four games is a small sample, and missed free throws and blown leads are fixable problems. But Miami has now let a double-digit lead get away at home and lost a game it controlled for most of three quarters. With a triple-double from its best player, that's the kind of loss that sticks.

The schedule doesn't offer much relief. Miami visits Atlanta on Wednesday. If the Heat get there with the same free-throw problem, the questions in South Florida get louder.