Preview: The Mavs end their short road trip with a game against the Heat in Miami

MIAMI – Before the season began, getting into the playoffs was one of the Dallas Mavericks' main goals itself.

Consider your mission accomplished.

The Mavs secured a spot in the Western Conference playoffs with Tuesday's 130-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns' 105-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavs have won 15 of their last 17 games and will go into Wednesday night's away game against the Miami Heat with a record of 49-30.

The win over the Hornets was significant for several reasons. For one thing, point guard Luka Dončić passed Mark Aguirre to become the Mavs' top scorer in a single season.

Aguirre scored 2,330 points in the 1983-84 season and Dončić has 2,332 points so far this season with three games remaining.

“It’s unbelievable what Luka has done,” said coach Jason Kidd. “He will rewrite the record books for the Mavericks and also the NBA.

“The fact that he overtook Mark is incredible because Mark is a legend with the Mavs. He holds a lot of scoring records and that shows what Luka has done and how he has gotten better every year.”

Against the Hornets, Dončić immediately set a good tone with his swing. The six-year veteran had 21 points at the end of the first quarter while Charlotte only had 18 points. In the end, Dončić recorded his 21st^st He achieved his triple-double of the season with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

“(Luka) came out and didn’t wait,” Kidd said. “He was aggressive, trying to get his shot, touch the ball in the paint, get to the rim (and) make plays for other players. “I thought a lot of the ones he missed were good .

“It looked like he was going to get one of those 40-point quarters. But having a 21-point quarter was great.”

And thanks to Dončić's great first quarter, the Mavs were eventually able to extend their lead by as much as 26 points. Now you can focus on that Won 50 games, won the Southwest Division and finally got some much-needed rest next week before the playoffs begin on April 20th.

“We’re just trying to deal with what’s in front of us,” Kidd said. “Our next opponent is the Miami Heat, so we have to prepare. This will be a physical fight.”

Here's some more information surrounding Wednesday's game between the Mavs and Heat.

*This is the finale of a short two-game road trip before the Mavs return home to entertain the Detroit Pistons on Friday. The Mavs play their regular season finale on Sunday in Oklahoma City and then prepare for the upcoming playoffs.

*Miami is in a dogfight with multiple teams fighting to get out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. The Heat are currently in eighth place in the East. After facing the Mavs, the Heat will finish the regular season on Friday with two games at home against the Toronto Raptors or Sunday.

*The Mavs and Heat have a long history of not caring about each other. After the Mavs took a 2-0 best-of-seven series lead against Miami in the 2006 NBA Finals, the Heat rebounded to win the final four games and the championship. And after Miami took a 2-1 best-of-seven series lead against Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals, the Mavs rebounded to win the final four games and the championship.

*Miami has won five of its last seven games. This also includes the 117:111 away win in double overtime on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Tyler Herro (33 points), Jimmy Butler (25 points, eight rebounds, nine assists) and Nikola Jovic (23 points, eight boards) made the big difference between Miami and the Hawks.

*The Mavs are the hottest team in the NBA, having picked up 15 wins in their last 17 games. And they win with blowouts, close games, physical games and run-and-gun duels. It seems like everything is coming together at the right time for the Mavs.

*All of these incredible Mavs victories started on March 7th when they defeated Miami 114-108 behind 35 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists from Luka Dončić. Kyrie Irving also scored 23 points in the game, while the Heat were led by Terry Rozier (27 points, six rebounds, 11 assists) and Duncan Robinson (19 points).

*They still have two more road games left, but the Mavs have already won 24 road games this season. That's the most games they've won on the road at American Airlines Center since they won 28 away games in the 2010-11 season. Ironically, the Mavs won their only NBA title that same season.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (49-30) at MIAMI HEAT (44-35)

When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday

Where: Kaseya Center, Miami

TV: WFAA, UniMás

Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice