Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks 3/6/13: Video Highlights and Recap
When the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets meet, it's fairly safe to say that offensive sparks are going to fly.
After Houston's 130-point outburst in last week's meeting between the two, Dallas had some unfinished business on the defensive end of the court. Shawn Marion played great defense on James Harden during the final few possessions of an extremely close game, and Dallas took steps toward getting back to .500 with a 112-108 win over the Rockets on Wednesday night.
Dirk Nowitzki had one of his best games of the season for Dallas, scoring 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Marion also had a huge game on offense for Dallas, putting in 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Vince Carter had a neat 16 points (three three-pointers), O.J. Mayo added 13 and Brandan Wright had 12 to round out the double-digit scorers for Dallas.
Dallas had 52 points in the paint and committed just 11 turnovers on the evening.
For Houston, Harden led the way with 28 points and nine assists, yet couldn't get a bucket down the stretch to put Houston ahead when it counted. His running mate, Chandler Parsons, added 23, and Jeremy Lin had 12 points and three assists while sitting on the bench during crunch time in favor of Patrick Beverley.
Houston (33-29) couldn't match its offensive output from the last time it spanked Dallas (27-33), and the Mavs managed to squeak out a big win at home, one they really needed if they are ever going to get back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Player of the Game: Dallas SG O.J. Mayo
Both Nowitzki and Marion had more points for Dallas, but neither would have had 10 if not for some brilliant passing from Mayo en route to a 12-assist ballgame.
Mayo finished with 13 points (seven in the fourth quarter), 12 assists and six rebounds on Wednesday night, and the big stat—a zero in the turnover column.
Mayo was making plays for teammates and provided a Jason Terry-esque presence that the team has lacked in the fourth quarter since the Jet flew away to Boston, and you could tell both Marion and Nowitzki benefited from his inspired play.
Next Up for the Rockets
Houston travels to Golden State for a Friday night game against the Warriors, then will turn right around and head to Phoenix for a Saturday game against the Suns.
The Rockets will get three days off after that, before coming back home to face the Suns again on March 13. Those two games will likely be heated affairs, as the Morris twins will look to assert their dominance. The all-Kansas power forward matchup of Morris/Morris vs. Thomas Robinson should be a good one.
Next Up for the Mavericks
Dallas starts a pivotal four-game road trip on Friday, traveling to take on the Detroit Pistons before wrapping up the mini-trip with in-state rival San Antonio on March 14. Dallas continues to push for a .500 record and a shot at the No. 8 seed, but losses to lesser teams won't be accepted if that outcome is really in the cards for the Mavs.
