Dallas Mavericks Fall to Red Hot Houston Rockets 104-97

The Dallas Mavericks found themselves in the same position as Houston’s last seven opponents, losing 104-97 Sunday evening.

In yet another installment of the their in-state rivalry, the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets battled it out Sunday. The Mavericks were no match for the surging Rockets, suffering a 104-97 loss.

Winners of their last eight, Houston has now won all three meetings with Dallas this season.

On the heels of a back-to-back, Dallas played without three cornerstone veterans–Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea and Wesley Matthews. In their stead, Doug McDermott, Kyle Collinsworth and Jalen Jones received an increase in minutes, with McDermott getting the start.

Breakdown

Unlike Saturday’s win in L.A., the Mavericks found themselves on the wrong end of a one-sided matchup. Aside from a brief one-point lead early in the opening period, Dallas tried to play catch-up for much of the night.

What the final score fails to indicate is how lopsided a game it was until the end of the last quarter. Houston led by as many as 16 points.

While Dallas finished with a 52-42 advantage on the boards, Houston benefitted from a huge disparity in free-throw attempts (33-16).

Mavericks

Dallas was led by Yogi Ferrell, who put together 20 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Dwight Powell had one of his best stat lines of the season, with 18 points on 50 percent shooting and 12 rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr. had a double-double of his own, with 16 points and 11 assists to go along with 5 rebounds.

Jones finished with eight points and 10 rebounds while McDermott compiled eight points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal. Collinsworth was solid, scoring six points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.

Struggling from the field all night, Harrison Barnes finished with 11 points on 26.7 percent shooting.

Rockets

James Harden and Chris Paul were spectacular. Harden scored a game-high 27 points to go with six rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Paul nearly scored a triple-double, registering 25 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

In typical fashion, Clint Capela was steady, producing 16 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

Next: New Lineups, Same Result: Dallas Mavericks defeat L.A. Lakers 130-123

Next Up

Before heading into the all-star break, Dallas will host the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night. Game time is at 8:30 p.m. ET. As always, go Mavs!