Dallas Mavericks: 5 takeaways from seeding game loss to Rockets

Dallas Mavericks takeaway from loss to Rockets: 2. Defensive struggles

There were plenty of defensive struggles for the Mavs against Houston. They allowed 42 points in the first quarter and 75 in the opening half. That is not a recipe to win games. Things did not get a ton better after the break. The Rockets’ lowest scoring quarter was the fourth with 31 points.

Houston shot 51.5 percent from the field for the game. They were 19 of 48 from 3-point range too. James Harden was the Rockets leading man with 49 points. He finished 14 of 20 from the field and hit 18 of his 21 free throw attempts. Russell Westbrook was not far behind with 31 points.

The Mavericks scored 149 points on Friday night and lost. Coach Carlisle has emphasized defense during training camp 2.0, but it did not show against the Rockets.

The Mavs have to play better in their remaining games if they want to have any chance of moving up or making a run in the playoffs. The Rockets are a difficult to team to defend. Doubling Harden is going to lead to open shots, but the Mavericks need to better moving forward. See if they can make it happen against the Suns on Sunday.

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