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By the Numbers: How did the Mavericks Stave off Elimination?

By Jay Knodell

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The Dallas Mavericks put summer plans on hold for at least a couple more days by beating the Houston Rockets 121-109 and avoiding a series sweep at the hands of a hated rival.

Better yet, they’ve managed to figure a few things out and make the necessary adjustments to compete. That goes back to Game 3. Think about it, a few bounces the other way and this series is tied 2-2 with all the momentum in Dallas’ corner.

So how did they defeat the Rockets and force a Game 5? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

3: The Mavericks had 3 players with a double-double. J.J. Barea was fantastic, registering 17 points and 13 assists after being inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in the playoffs since the 2011 NBA Finals. Unlike Rondo, Barea pushes the issue and gets the offense moving. No 8-second calls on him.

Al-Farouq Aminu, also starting his first game of the series, and his playoff career, was just as impressive. He was 6-10 from the floor and 3-5 from three-point range en route to his 16 points. His 12 rebounds were eclipsed by only Tyson Chandler’s 14 for the game-high. Speaking of Chandler, his 10 points make him the third Maverick with a double-double. The Rockets had zero.

3 is also the total points scored by Dwight Howard after the first quarter. Howard had 10 points in the first 12 minutes as Houston opened up a 9-point advantage.

17: Houston missed 17 straight shots in a period spanning the second and third quarters, allowing Dallas to get back into and seize control of the game.

10: Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal for the Mavericks. It seemed like every time the Rockets would string together a couple of buckets Nowitzki would calm the tense crowd with a big shot to fatten the cushion. Nowitzki may be in the twilight of his career, but switching smaller defenders onto him in the late stages of a playoff game is asking for it.

 128.5: As mentioned above, Barea and Aminu were inserted into the starting lineup for Game 4. The group played 18 minutes together in total, but that number may need to rise in Game 5 and possibly beyond because that lineup was downright deadly. In fact, in the 27 minutes that group has shared the floor this series they’ve had an offensive rating of 128.5!

At least just as impressive, they have a defensive rating of 77.8. Big thanks to Bryan Gutierrez for the numbers.

Play of the Game

There were quite a few spectacular plays from which to choose, but this one was my personal favorite. Partially because it came against James Harden, mostly because I’ve got a huge sports crush on Al-Farouq Aminu. Lock him up, Mark!

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Houston. GO MAVS!

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