Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks:

– At this point, the game is hard for Bam Adebayo.

– There is no way around it.

– The previous time he took the court at Kaseya Center, it was a foul-filled four-point night in Friday night’s loss to the Pistons.

– This time, he went to the bench late in the third period at 1 of 7 from the field for four points.

– The side by side with Giannis Antetokounmpo is not working.

– With Adebayo’s best stretch this season coming when Antetokounmpo sat during Saturday night’s stifled fourth-quarter rally in Charlotte.

– This time, the best, or at least better, minutes for Adebayo came when Antetokounmpo was on the bench in the first half.

– The Heat have to find a way to make this work.

– More to the point, Erik Spoelstra has to find a way.

– Even more to the point, Adebayo has to find a way.

– Asked pregame about Adebayo’s uneven start to the season, Spoelstra said, “He’s going to figure it out, we’re going to figure it out.”

– The Heat opened for the fourth time in as many games with a lineup of Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Klay Thompson.

– Bobby Portis Jr. and Pelle Larsson entered together first off the bench.

– And then came a bit of a rotation switch, with Dru Smith and Hardaway Jr. followed together.

– With Smith entering at a point when Nikola Jovic previously entered.

– Before the game, Spoelstra said of the skeptics of his team’s start, “We knew this going in, that there would be a lot of eyeballs on our team. And right now, since we’ve had this start, it’s just time to just focus on us and doing what we need to do to get a win. And we need to be more consistent. That’s the bottom line.”

– As for Antetokounmpo, Spoelstra said, “We want him to be as aggressive as he possibly can, getting into the paint and making plays.”

– He did all that could be asked in this one.

– Spoelstra before the game also spoke of the rapid climb of Dusty May from FAU coach to Michigan coach to, now, Mavericks coach.

– “It’s happened fast,” he said. “When he was at FAU, we got to know him, and were fans from afar. And then got to know him, ironically, better and more often when we were able to see him when he went to Michigan, because of Jack, his son, being in our video room. He would fly down three or four times a year, stop by the gym and everything.”

– Spoelstra added, “He’s a heck of a coach. There’s no doubt about it. He can have success like he had staying in college. But the way he coaches, I think, is built for the NBA.  It’s really a credit to his communication skills, and he’s relentless as a learner.”

– Also in the building was former Heat shooting coach Rob Fodor, who left for the Mavericks in the offseason.

– “I just saw him, so happy for him there,” Spoelstra said pregame. “He looks weird in blue. He’s got a great shooting mind, very creative. He’s much different than your normal shooting coach, and his process is much different.”

– Larsson said at the morning shootaround he is coming around from the illness that sidelined him for most of the preseason.

– “When I was sick and played a game when I was sick, it kind of put it into perspective of like now when I’m healthy,” he said of his aborted comeback attempt during the preseason. “I feel like I’m flying and I’m never getting tired, so I feel great.”

– He added, “It’s only been three games, so like not really fatigued yet, still fresh from the beginning of the season. But also the wind is coming back so I feel great.”

– Mitchell said early 3-point success isn’t how he’s judging his shooting from beyond the arc.

– “I mean, I put in a lot of work this offseason, just working on my shot, my mental side of shooting the ball,” he said. “And honestly, for me, I’m not looking at the percentages. I’m looking at if I shoot it, I just need to shoot it. That’s kind of my mindset.”

– He added, “I’m not really looking at the misses or makes, because one day it can go in and one day it couldn’t. So, I just kind of just look at the work that I put in and then trusting it.”

– Mitchell also said the early-season growing pains are just that. “I think that we’re just learning,” he said. “We’re learning from one another, and it’s good that we’re doing it right now. . . . So, it’s good to have those growing pains right now.”

– Mitchell also stressed the adjustment to Antetokounmpo as an ongoing process.

– “With someone like Giannis, one of the greatest players in the league, it’s going to look different than we did last year,” Mitchell said. “The way we play is going to look a little bit different, because he’s one of the greatest players in the league. So, he needs his touches. People got to figure out how to find the rhythm with him. And I think people are.”

– Mitchell added, “We got to get used to it. And I’m looking forward to when we actually show up and shine and play our best, that we’re going to look really good. I think it’s a rhythm thing.”

– Adebayo entered 15 rebounds shy of breaking Udonis Haslem all-time franchise rebound record (5,791).

– With his first steal, Adebayo joined Dwyane Wade (1,492) and Mario Chalmers (791) as the only players with 700 or more with the Heat.

– Wade and Gabrielle Union sat courtside, as did former Heat guard Goran Dragic.

– Also courtside was Heat scout and ambassador Glen Rice, who recently was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.