Luka Dončić, Mavs Astound NBA Fans vs. Heat with 5th Straight Win Ahead of Playoffs

Luka Dončić strengthened his MVP case with a near-triple double and Kyrie Irving scored 25 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 111-92 road win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Dončić poured in 29 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the 50-30 Mavs, who won their fifth straight game. Dallas has also won 16 of its past 18 games.

The Mavericks opened up a 69-47 halftime lead and never looked back in this one. They excelled on both ends, taking care of the ball on offense (just seven turnovers) and amassing eight steals and eight blocks on defense.

All five Mavs starters ended up scoring in double digits as well, with Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford each posting 12 points.

Dallas is now locked into the Western Conference's 4-5 first-round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently hold the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage there by virtue of its 51-28 record entering Wednesday.

However, the Mavericks are a very dangerous team entering the playoffs. Dončić is the main catalyst for this hot streak, and MVP chatter is only growing louder. But Irving has been exception, and this team is also playing lights-out defense as well.

Understandably, fans and analysts alike praised Dončić and the Mavs on Wednesday.

The Mavericks close the regular season with a home game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday before visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. They'll open the postseason on either Saturday, April 20 or Sunday, April 21 against the Clippers.