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The Dallas Mavericks (46-29) take on Southwest division rival Houston Rockets (51-24) at the American Airlines Center tonight at 7:30 PM CST (TV: Fox Sports Southwest, Radio: KESN 103.3 FM ESPN)
This is the beginning of a three-game homestretch for the Mavs against three very lofty opponents in the Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. With just seven games remaining before the start of the playoffs, the Mavs look to be the next in line to clinch a playoff berth. The sixth seeded San Antonio Spurs earned a spot in the postseason after defeating the Orlando Magic last night.
The Mavs will look to extend their winning streak to two games tonight after defeating the Thunder 135-131 in Oklahoma City last night, after previously dropping four of their last five. It will also be the second night of a back-to-back for the Rockets, after they defeated the Sacramento Kings in Houston.
#MavsGameDay & Rondo Bobblehead Night for 1st 5K at AAC! Tipoff vs @HoustonRockets at 7:30PM CST on FSSW! #DALvsHOU pic.twitter.com/s5zjfrlmQ3
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 2, 2015
Match Up at Hand
The Mavs will once again look to Monta Ellis, who is averaging 20.7 points per game versus the Rockets this season, to shoulder the load on offense. The Rockets, who currently rank sixth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, will get a big boost against the Mavs this time around with center Dwight Howard (probable) likely back in the starting lineup after missing the previous three meetings between the two clubs, in what will be another grind out game for the Mavs.
“We have a lot of scorers, we know that,” Dirk Nowitzki said following the Mavs shootout win of the Thunder last night. “When we do slow down sometimes, we get in trouble. We’ve got to fight most times against more physical teams who try to grind it out against us, so that’s why sometimes we get in trouble.”
The Mavs hope to get a repeat showing of their 111-100 victory over the Rockets on February 20, that saw eight players score in double figures. They’ll will need to come with high energy and effort for the full 48 minutes in order to have any legitimate shot at winning tonight’s ballgame.
Projected Starting Lineups
Mavs
Chandler Parsons (15.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Dirk Nowitzki (17.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.4 bpg)
Tyson Chandler (10.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
Monta Ellis (19.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.2 apg)
Rajon Rondo (8.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 8.0 apg)
Rockets
Terrance Jones (12.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg)
Trevor Ariza (12.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.6 apg)
Joey Dorsey (2.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.4 bpg)
James Harden (27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 7.0 apg)
Jason Terry (6.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Matchup to Watch: Mavs Small Forwards vs James Harden
For the Mavs, key to victory will be stopping James Harden, who is coming off a 51-point performance in their victory over the Kings last night. Perhaps, the Mavs’ saving grace comes in the form of a back-to-back for the Rockets, who rely heavily on Harden’s volume shooting to produce on offense. Expect a heavy dose of Al-Farqou Aminu as the role of the defensive stopper for the Mavs to wear down Harden, who is shooting just 30.2 percent against the Mavs since joining Houston. Although Parsons has been hot of late and continues to be a key cog in the Mavs offensive system, his focus will need to remain primarily on the defensive end of the floor in order to avoid Harden going off for another 50 points game.
Series
The Rockets lead the all-time series against the Mavs with a slight 83-79 edge and lead the season series 2-1. The Mavs have won 20 of the last 25 regular season meetings at the American Airlines Center.
Game Notes
- Last night, Dirk Nowitzki became the seventh player in NBA history ever to crack 28,000 points in a career.
- The Mavericks magic number is two. Any combination of Mavs wins and losses equaling two clinches a playoff spot. The Pelicans next game comes on Friday versus the Sacramento Kings.
- Monta Ellis needs one field goal for 5,000 in his career. He hit 13,000 career points in the first half versus the Thunder. (Per Earl K. Sneed via Mavs PR)
- Tonight is Rajon Rondo Bobblehead Night for the 1st 5,000 fans who arrive at the AAC.
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