The Miami Heat have begun the season in impressive fashion, leading their Christmas Day road opener against the Dallas Mavericks 62-41 at halftime. The Heat jumped out early, leading by 15 points after the first quarter, and stretched the lead to 21 in the second period behind continued hot shooting and aggressive defensive play.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have been fantastic in the first half, each on their way to a triple double. James has scored 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, while Wade has dropped 14 points, five boards and five assists.
The Heat as a team have shot 51.3 percent from the floor, with 11 assist on their 22 made baskets. Miami has held the Mavericks to just 11 of 38 shooting from the field, and the Heat have outrebounded Dallas 28 to 13.
Dirk Nowitzki leads the Mavericks with 13 points at the half, with veteran point guard Jason Kidd chipping in nine points.
For more on these two teams and their big rematch, head to Mavs Moneyball and visit Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier. For news and notes from around the league, be sure to followSB Nation's NBA hub.