Shootaround report: Mavs focus on controlling pace vs. Rockets

Earl K. Sneed reports from the Dallas Mavericks' Wednesday morning shootaround, as the Mavs prepare to control the pace of their Southwest Division matchup against the Houston Rockets.

Shootaround report: Rockets (21-18) at Mavericks (16-23)
Mavs focus on controlling pace vs. Rockets

DALLAS — Facing the No. 1 scoring team in the NBA, which also ranks 30th in points allowed, the Dallas Mavericks admit that they will have to guard against finding themselves in an up-and-down, back-and-forth affair Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center.

The Houston Rockets average a league-best 105.5 points per game on the offensive end, but are also giving up a league-worst 103.7 points a night at the other end of the floor. So, as the Mavericks (16-23) prepared for their Southwest Division matchup at Wednesday’s morning shootaround, coach Rick Carlisle reiterated to his players the importance of controlling the tempo against the high-octane Rockets team.

“Well, we want tempo. We want to play fast, but playing fast doesn’t mean just giving and trading shots with the opponent,” Carlisle said. “As I’ve said frequently, really good teams can play flow on offense and they can maintain a possession mentality defensively. It’s one of the hardest things to do in basketball. It’s certainly a hard and difficult challenge in coaching. That’s what we have to do tonight. You know, Houston is No. 1 in pace, they’re dangerous at the 3-point line and they do a great job driving towards the rim. So it’s going to be a multiple effort, scramble-type game defensively for us.”

“Just make sure you get back in transition defense,” swingman Dahntay Jones added of the defensive game plan. “Make sure you get five guys tied together in taking the paint away first and then you work your way out.”

Sneaking out of a Dec. 8 meeting between the two teams with a 116-109 road win in Houston, the Mavericks needed every bit of leading scorer O.J. Mayo’s 40 points to outshine Rockets guard James Harden’s 39 points at the other end. But much has changed for both teams since that December night, as a healthy Mavericks team tries to secure a ninth straight win in the series and fourth consecutive victory overall, looking to extend the Rockets’ four-game losing skid.

“I mean, Harden had 39, so we’ve got to have a lot of focus on him. They’re going to have a lot of focus on Mayo because of the game he had, but our team is a little different now,” Carlisle said. “We didn’t have [Shawn] Marion that night and Dirk [Nowitzki] wasn’t playing, and so our team looks different. You know, we had [Derek] Fisher that night and now we don’t have Fisher, so a lot of things have changed since then. The thing that’s the same is these games are all important, and we’re going to have to be at our best to beat these guys because of the pressure that they put on you, especially with their offense and their skill level.”

Note: The Mavericks return to action at the American Airlines Center for the third outing of a four-game homestand Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets. The Mavericks lead the season series 1-0 after a 116-109 road win in Houston on Dec. 8. The game will air locally at 7 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.