The Houston Rockets will open up at home tonight against the Dallas Mavericks, a team that will be without a large chunk of their lineup.
The Houston Rockets will finally get a chance to open up their doors to fans alike within the welcoming abodes of Toyota Center against the Dallas Mavericks, a team with a lot of promising talent that still is trying to find their identity.Dirk Nowitzkiis still headlining this team after nearly two decades of play to which I think is a remarkable feat.
But the Rockets shouldn’t be all too concerned about this match up as they clearly have more firepower than their opponent at least for tonight. Four of the Mavs’ key contributors will be out tonight — see injury report below — so it will be interesting to see what adjustments thatRick Carlislemakes in light of these guys not making the trip.
The Rockets have issues of their own withChris Paulnot going to be available for a month and it’s important you keep an eye on the rotations at the point and the management of minutes among the guards for the team.
So who’s leading the charge for the Mavericks?
Harrison Barnesleads the team in scoring (19.0 PPG).Nerlens Noelis in charge of the rebounds (8.5 RPG) and steals (2.0 SPG).Dennis SmithJr. doles out the dimes (10.0 APG) andSalah Mejriis the top shot-blocker (1.6 BPG).
Let’s talk about what the Mavericks do well.
They’ve been pretty darn good at ball movement thus far.The Mavs are ranked4th in assist ratio— along with the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat — with18.1 percent of their possessionsending with an assist.
Injuries:
Unless you’ve been under a rock as of late, Chris Paulwill be sidelined at least a month with an injury to his left knee. He sustained the injury in a preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies back Oct. 11 when he bumped knees withMario Chalmers. We know thatEric Gordonwill get the start alongside James Harden butBobby Brownis the only capable backup point guard. Since it’s a month, they might weather the storm but it’s possible they may check the market for someone who can step in and help immediately.
The Mavericks will be withoutDennis Smith Jr. (knee),Seth Curry(lower leg injury) andJosh McRoberts(foot) as well asDevin Harris,who lost his brother in a tragic car accident earlierthis week. My condolences go out to Harris and his family.
Source(s): Marc Stein of the New York Times and Earl K. Sneed of Mavericks.com
Matchups to Watch:
- Eric Gordon vs.Yogi Ferrell
- Clint Capelavs. Dirk Nowitzki/Nerlens Noel
- James Hardenvs.Wesley Matthews
- Trevor Arizavs.Harrison Barnes
Next: THREE Reasons why there's HATE for James Harden
Prediction:
112-101in aHouston Rockets’win!
The Rockets are back at home to open up against theMavsatToyota Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for7 p.m. CDT.
The game will be televised onAT&T SportsNet Southwestand broadcast onNewsRadio 740 AM (KTRH), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 216 (Internet 890)andLa Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets.
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