the Dallas Mavericks (20-16) defeated the Houston Rockets (10-25) Thursday evening, 129-114. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to their fifth straight win with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists. Jalen Green led the Rockets with 23 points.
The Mavericks started the first quarter with good energy, attacking Houston on the dribble and reaching the line early and often. Unfortunately, rookie Jabari Smith Jr.’s hot shot kept Houston in the game. Luka Doncic scored an easy 14 into the frame as every Maverick starter got on the board in the opening twelve minutes. Dallas led the Rockets 36-30 after one.
The second quarter was a crabby affair; Points were few and referees called numerous fouls in the first six minutes of the frame. The Mavericks found an offense once Luka returned and built a double-digit lead through the Doncic-Dwight Powell connection. The lid also came off the basket for the Rockets, but they couldn’t take the lead from Maverick. Doncic hit a wild three to end the quarter and the Mavericks took a 65-51 lead into the half.
The wheels came loose for Houston in the third, as Dallas pressured the rim at both ends and the Mavericks started to hit three. Christian Wood scored 12 goals in the first six minutes of the quarter but also committed his fourth and fifth fouls, forcing him off the bench. It didn’t matter though, as the Rocket’s putrid defense couldn’t stop Luka Doncic from leading the Dallas offense. The Mavericks entered the final frame with a 99-79 lead.
Luka Doncic played until around the eighth minute of the fourth, aiming to help accelerate the Mavericks enough to hold Houston off for the rest of the game. The bench unit and the end of the bench unit would retain the lead for the remainder of the game. The Dallas Mavericks are still on track, winning five in a row, this time beating the Rockets, 129-114.
Beat a bad team
Until this recent winning streak, the Mavericks had a rather abysmal record against teams under .500. During this winning streak, Dallas hasn’t been able to get away with a single one, but there’s a good reason for that with so many injuries to key players. So seeing Dallas carry the hammer against a really bad Rockets team was really nice to see.
Luka Doncic in particular had a bit of a built-in excuse to come out slow, scoring 60 points in a grueling overtime victory on Tuesday. Still, he attacked early and kept it going all game. We are fast approaching the difficult point of the season and after a month of December with so many games, it is understandable that the Mavericks are tired. But if they want to avoid the game, they’ll all have to find a reason to play hard at night, especially against lesser teams.
The escape team
There was a pretty amusing first-half discussion with the Dallas broadcast team where they wondered aloud why Dallas wasn’t more of a transition team. They know the answer, but we understand why they don’t say it: Luka Doncic.
Dallas doesn’t run because Doncic doesn’t push after making and rarely advances the ball in transition to other teammates. They tend to play faster when he’s on the bench. Against the Rockets, Dallas chose to push early and often and took advantage of an undisciplined Houston team. The 25-3 point advantage from quick break has to be their biggest point advantage in this category all season. I get why they aren’t running more, but it could benefit the Mavericks to surprise teams more often by pushing the pace.
Christian Wood Block Party
It’s a safe bet that Christian Wood is well aware of his eight-game streak with two more blocks. He had four tonight against Houston, which didn’t cost Dallas, but if he wants to be more aggressive defensively this way, he’ll also have to be aware of his faults. Using that length to Dallas’ advantage is a good thing, especially since Dallas doesn’t have much in the form of team rim defense, but Wood is valuable for what Dallas does and he’s important. that he avoids mistakes.
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