Dallas Mavericks fans got a glimpse into the future in tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets. The Mavericks started the game with Dennis Smith Jr., Yogi Ferell, Harrison Barnes, Dwight Powell, and trade deadline acquisition Doug McDermott. Mavs veterans JJ Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wesley Matthews did not play in tonight’s game for rest and maintenance reasons. Dallas also featured three G-League and Texas Legends alumni in the game with Kyle Collinsworth, Jalen Jones, and Johnathan Motley getting some playing time.
Dallas started off the first quarter sharing the ball by assisting on 13 straight points. Dennis Smith Jr. had four assists in the quarter to go along with four points. Dwight Powell led the Mavs in scoring for the quarter with six points. Kyle Collinsworth and Jalen Jones got some burn off the bench in the first. Collinsworth assisted a Doug McDermott three pointer and grabbed a defensive rebound to go along with a couple of deflections and some solid defense.
Throughout the second quarter Kyle Collinsworth and Jalen Jones showed us why they have been called up from the G-League. Collinsworth had 6 points, 3 rebounds, an assist and block during the second. Jones, who is on a two-way contract, had 5 points and 2 rebounds in the quarter. Dallas got down by double digits during the second but DSJ, Dwight Powell, and Harrison Barnes erased a 10 point lead by the Rockets to tie the game at 51-51. Collinsworth put an exclamation mark on his second quarter with a put back slam with a few seconds left in the quarter to bring the score to 55-57 in favor of the Rockets.
The Mavericks have had a rough go in the third quarter in many of their games. Tonight was more of the same, but a little different. For most of the third the Mavs kept the Rockets within arms reach. They were only down by six points with 2 minutes left in the quarter. The Rockets would then use a 8-3 run to push the score to 87-75. Houston continued to hold a double digit lead through most of the fourth. Chris Paul and James Harden put the nail in the coffin by combining for nine straight points to end the game. The Rockets would win 104-97, the second time the Mavs and Rockets have finished a game with that score this season.
Although they lost, the young guys had good games tonight. Dennis Smith Jr. and Dwight Powell both had a double-double. DSJ finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists with only 6 turnovers against Chris Paul. Dwight Powell continued his hot streak as the Mavs starting center with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block. Kyle Collinsworth grabbed 8 rebounds to go along with 6 points, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He defended James Harden very well despite Harden scoring 27 points tonight. All three Texas Legends alumni finished with positive plus/minus. Collinsworth, Jones, and Motley finished with a +6, +7, and +7 respectively. Yogi Ferrell was the leading scorer with 20 points on 50% shooting, including making 4 of his 8 three point attempts.
The 18-39 Mavs host the 17-38 Kings on Tuesday the 13th at 7:30 PM on Fox Sports Southwest. It is their last game before the All-Star Break.
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