Long last – basketball (which counts) is back. The scripts went well enough for the Mavericks, winning against the Lakers and the Sixers with their only loss to the Pacers. Now that the players hope to have their lungs and legs back, it’s time to get competitive from this game against Houston.
This game acts as a tie as the teams split the regular season streak at 1-1. The Rockets currently sit in the six seeds in the West just 1.5 games ahead of the Mavericks. Winning games like these will be crucial to ensuring that Dallas ranks for a more favorable playoff match-up. What will they have to do to win this first? Here are three things that could be the keys to a win.
Fluke or forecast?
The three scripts proved to be very different experiences for Mavericks’ initial wings. Seth Curry had three unreal matches that started with a perfect shootout against the Lakers. He finished the scrimmages making a field goal 13 out of 24 (54.1%) combined and attempts on three points 9 out of 15 (60%). As Curry thrived, it was a different story for Tim Hardaway Jr. He ended his three game shooting crisis with an 8-for-26 (30.7%) combined from the field and a 6-for-16 (37, 5%) beyond the arc. Were these performances a sign of what was about to happen or just some stray scrimmage statistics? Their performances in this first game could erase the doubt or add to it.
Frontal courts undervalued
The Houston Rockets haven’t started a footer since Tyson Chandler got the opportunity on Christmas day 2019. It’s no secret that the Rockets embrace lineups of balls. Robert Covington (who has the same height as Luka Doncic) is Houston’s main “center”, playing 83 percent of his five minutes this season. While Covington has embraced the role, making a career average high in rebounds and blocks, throwing all 7 feet and 3 inches of Kristaps Porzingis against him should be terrifying. Expect the Mavericks to find many ways to make Porzingis and even Boban Marjanovic look incredibly effective. See the field day that Porzingis had in the paint during his only encounter against the new look of the Rockets:
The Three Ball
The Houston Rockets shoot the ball three points more frequently than any other team in the league, taking 44.3 per game. While Houston shoots them more often, Dallas shoots them much more efficiently. The Mavericks have the eighth best percentage in three points while the Rockets are placed in 23rd place.
This efficiency makes Dallas the championship leader as a percentage of the total points resulting from three-point goals. The combination of a deep shot consistent with internal misalignments could prove to be an excessive offense for the Rockets to overcome, especially with the Rockets that probably do not have the Eric Gordon shooting gallery.
How to look
This game is slated for rush at 20:00 Central Time and will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN with a local broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest.
