Rockets-Mavericks Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Mar 27 2012 12:49AM

Dirk Nowitzki's right eye was proof of the intensity between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets last weekend.

Nowitzki needed four stitches to close a cut for the Mavericks, who defeated the Rockets for the fifth straight meeting as these teams get ready for Tuesday night's rematch in Dallas.

Dallas (28-22) won 101-99 in overtime at Houston (27-23) on Saturday in the Mavericks' most recent game. The contest featured 17 lead changes, 15 ties, a rowdy Rockets crowd and an incident in which Nowitzki was elbowed in the face by Goran Dragic.

"I just had a few stitches and I'm not for sure how it happened but I think it was Dragic and it was really a huge play for us down the stretch," Nowitzki said. "I guess he elbowed me in the face and the ref was right on it, and called the offensive foul. And that was a big play in the game. I thought it was Dragic, but it is what it is."

That was the first of three meetings this season between these Southwest Division teams involved in a tight race to reach the playoffs. The Mavericks are in fifth place in the Western Conference and the Rockets are tied with Utah and Denver for spots seven through nine.

"We're fighting now," Dallas guard Jason Terry said. "We're fighting every night we go out on the floor. Each game is very critical for us, as far as playoff positioning. It's been a tough season, but overall I like the effort of everybody. We're doing what we have to collectively as a group to have success."

Nowitzki scored 31 points and Terry added 14 of his 24 after the third quarter in a game coach Rick Carlisle called the Mavs' "biggest win of the year." The Rockets had all five starters in double figures, with Dragic scoring 24 and Luis Scola adding 19.

While Dallas hasn't played since, Houston comes to town after needing overtime to get past lowly Sacramento 113-106 at home on Monday. Patrick Patterson scored a career-high 24 as the Rockets rallied from a 16-point deficit.

"Patrick played great," coach Kevin McHale said. "That's the Patrick that we need to see all the time. He was just fantastic."

Dragic left with about a minute left in overtime with an ankle injury and was helped to the locker room. Dragic said it is a "minor sprain" and that X-rays on it were negative.

The point guard's absence forced Earl Boykins, signed earlier in the day to a 10-day contract, into the game to make four clutch free throws in the final 21 seconds. Boykins finished with 10 points and five assists in his first action of the season.

"This is definitely a unique situation, but when you've been around as long as I have, you know how to prepare to play in the NBA even when you're not in the NBA," Boykins said. "It takes a great deal of confidence to give someone the ball who you haven't seen all year (and be) confident that they can make free throws. It's a lot easier to play when your teammates have that kind of confidence."

The last two meetings between these teams have gone to overtime and the previous two matchups were decided by a combined nine points.

Mavericks finally overcome Rockets for 90-81 win

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Mar 28 2012 12:47AM

DALLAS (AP) Jason Terry scored seven consecutive points in a minute, starting a game-turning run for the Dallas Mavericks. And he wasn't alone contributing off the bench.

Like Terry, Rodrigue Beaubois and Brandan Wright scored in double figures in a 90-81 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Even Lamar Odom resembled the player the defending NBA champions always thought they were getting.

"We got off to a very poor start," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Odom, Terry, Wright, all of those guys that came in, Beaubois had a very impact game. All of those guys did, and they were the difference."

The Mavericks fell behind by as many as 16 in the first quarter, and didn't overtake a short-handed and worn-out Rockets team until Terry's seven straight points started a 21-6 run in the third quarter.

"We needed a spark. We needed some energy. I saw us lagging there. It was an opportunity for us to take control of the game," Terry said. "The bench was tremendous. It will be a key for us down the stretch. We need to be consistent off the bench, especially offensively."

With 15 games left in the condensed regular season, the Mavericks (29-22) are tied for fifth place in the Western Conference. Next is a trip Thursday night to Miami in a rematch of last season's NBA finals, and their first matchup since the Heat won 105-94 at Dallas in the Christmas Day season opener.

Dallas has won consecutive games against the Rockets, also winning 101-99 in overtime Saturday night in Houston.

But the Rockets (27-24) also had to play at home again Monday and needed overtime to beat Sacramento. This loss dropped them a half-game behind Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

"We got a little bit tired," coach Kevin McHale said. "We didn't have that zip we needed. ... The game was up for grabs in the third quarter, but we didn't have any rhythm offensively."

A turnover by Houston led to a breakaway layup by Terry with 6:39 left in the third quarter. The Mavs still trailed after Terry got credit for a layup after a goaltending call, but Terry then swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 55-53 lead with 5:39 left in the quarter. It was their first lead since the game's opening minutes.

Terry finished with 12 points and four assists. Beaubois had 14 points with five assists and Wright 13 points.

Odom's nine points were his most in the last nine games, not including the game when Odom didn't even play last Friday.

He was 4 of 5 shooting, including a driving wraparound layup during that third-quarter run that drew a huge cheer from the crowd, which had initially greeted him with a mix of cheers and boos. He also had four rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block and no turnovers in his 23 minutes.

"I felt comfortable. I'm finally getting to the point where I'm getting my second wind," Odom said. "I can finally count on my body, which in this game is what it's all about. All you can do is take it game by game and not get too excited."

Carlisle called it a `"great step in the right direction" for last season's NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points despite a bad shooting night (5 of 17), and was the only Dallas starter who scored in double figures. He made 11 of 12 free throws, 10 of the attempts coming before halftime.

Luis Scola had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, while Goran Dragic scored 17 points. Chandler Parsons had 15 points and nine rebounds.

After Terry's seven-point run, Jason Kidd had a mistake. His turnover led to a running layup by Dragic to tie it at 55, but he quickly redeemed himself with a 3-pointer that put the Mavs ahead to stay.

Even after two overtime games the previous three nights, and again without guards Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin, the Rockets jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead. That was capped by Dragic and Courtney Lee hitting consecutive 3s.

The Rockets had their largest lead, 26-10, after a 3-pointer by Chase Budinger with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

"We had good energy in the first quarter," Scola said. "But we didn't play well in the second half."

Notes: After scoring 30 points in the first quarter, the Rockets had only 32 in the entire second half. ... Nowitzki scored 11 points in a first half-ending 16-10 run for Dallas. ... Lowry has missed 11 games in a row because of a bacterial infection and Martin has been out nine in a row with a sprained right shoulder. ... Mavericks G Delonte West missed his 21st straight game because of a broken right ring finger and C Brendan Haywood was out his sixth consecutive game with a sprained right knee. "They're getting close but they're not ready to play," Carlisle said.

Notebook: Mavericks 90, Rockets 81

Posted Tuesday March 27, 2012 11:51PM

By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks got a big boost from the bench Tuesday in a 90-81 victory over the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. The reserves combined for 48 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, with Rodrigue Beaubois (14), Brandan Wright (13) and Jason Terry (12) scoring in double figures and even the embattled Lamar Odom enjoying his most productive game in weeks.

The Rockets (27-24) blew a big first-half lead and dropped two games behind the Mavericks (29-22) in the Western Conference playoff picture. Houston has lost six straight in the series, including an overtime loss in Houston on Saturday. Luis Scola led four Rockets starters in double figures with 22 points and eight rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "Us bench guys came in and picked the team back up. That's what it is about, a whole team effort, and we came in and picked the guys up and kept going from there."
-- Wright on the Mavericks' 48-17 advantage in bench scoring

THE STAT: This was just the third time the Mavs have rallied to win when trailing by 10 or more points, improving to 3-18 in those games. Houston was ahead 26-10 late in the first quarter. Dallas' two other double-digit comebacks came against Philadelphia (Feb. 17) and vs. Charlotte (March 15).

TURNING POINT: Terry scored seven points in the span of 60 seconds, from the 6:39 mark to 5:39 in the third quarter, to ignite a 16-2 run that put the Mavericks on cruise control. The "JET"-fueled outburst by Terry included a fastbreak drive, a layup (with a goaltending call on Samuel Dalembert) and a pull-up trey from 25 feet.

QUOTABLE II: "We weren't running and didn't have the zip that we needed, especially in that third quarter. I thought that first five minutes of that third quarter, if we could've gotten some juice and really gotten some run outs and gotten some baskets and gotten some momentum, it would've been a different game."
-- Rockets head coach Kevin McHale

HOT: Scola scored 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the first half. ... Nowitzki was 11-for-12 at the free-throw line (but just 5-for-17 from the field).

NOT: The Rockets had their lowest-scoring third quarter of the season with 12 points on 26.3 percent shooting (5-for-19). Their previous low for the period was 16, on two occasions. Playing the second night of a back-to-back after Monday's overtime win against Sacramento, Houston looked sluggish coming out of the intermission.

GOOD MOVE: Wearing a white headband for the first time this season, Odom weathered some early boos and brought the crowd over to his side with an aggressive and energetic effort. He finished with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 23 minutes. It was his highest-scoring game since March 8, when he had 15 at Phoenix.

QUOTABLE III: "He played his game. It was big because we needed a lift and he was one of several guys that gave it to us. He was terrific all night long. This is a great step in the right direction. This is how he plays. I've said all along we believe in the guy."
-- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle on Odom

BAD MOVE: Houston's foul trouble helped Dallas close the gap in the second quarter. The Mavericks were in the bonus with 6:43 remaining in the period and took advantage, going 9-for-10 to trim the Rockets' lead to 49-46 at the break.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Despite being a game-time decision with a sprained ankle, Goran Dragic played 38 minutes for Houston and contributed 17 points, seven assists and four steals. ... It's all or nothing lately for Patrick Patterson. He went 0-for-7 in Friday's loss to Dallas, scored a career-high 24 points Monday against the Kings, then went 1-for-7 on Tuesday.

ROOKIE WATCH: Chandler Parsons scored 15 points and added a team-high nine rebounds and three steals for the Rockets.

NOTABLE: The Mavericks said that center Brendan Haywood (sprained right knee) and guard Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) were getting closer to returning. Haywood has missed six games and West has been out for five weeks. ... Houston had won the rebounding battle in a season-high five straight games, but Dallas finished with a 43-39 edge on the glass thanks to an 11-board effort from Shawn Marion. ... Jason Kidd played in his 1,307th game, tying Buck Williams for 10th place on the NBA's all-time list. ... Dallas finished 6-1 at home for the month of March.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Thursday @ Miami, Friday @ Orlando, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers. For the Rockets, Friday vs. Memphis, Sunday vs. Indiana, Monday @ Chicago.

• Rockets: Lowry, Smith
• Mavericks: Azubuike, West

• Rockets: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #70 Brent Barnaky
• Attendance: 20359
• Duration: 2:02