Mavericks vs. Rockets: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs
The Houston Rockets didn't play an aesthetically pleasing game for three quarters, but they cruised through the final frame to defeat the Dallas Mavericks, 111-99, on Tuesday at the Toyota Center.
Houston is now up 2-0 in the opening-round playoff series, but like the performances of most favorites in these 2015 NBA playoffs so far, it wasn't exactly pretty throughout. Rockets coach Kevin McHale hinted at that afterward, per Fox 26's Mark Berman:
The Rockets and Mavericks entered the fourth quarter of Tuesday's contest shooting below 40 percent from the field, and the referees were blowing plenty of whistles.
Former AAU teammates Josh Smith and Dwight Howard then spearheaded an 11-0 run to boost the Rockets to a 92-84 lead, and the visitors didn't have an answer.
CNN's Rachel Nichols weighed in on the innate rapport Smith and Howard showed off:
ESPN Stats & Info added more context, as the dynamic duo contributed to a dunking bonanza:
The aforementioned run was a particularly huge sequence, since Dallas' Monta Ellis hit a buzzer-beater to end the third and got a fortunate roll on a jump shot to keep Dallas' momentum going.
Amar'e Stoudemire scored to put the Mavs ahead by three before Smith began picking apart the opposing defense, lobbing it to Howard at will to get the home crowd on its feet. Houston outscored the Mavs 30-19 in the last quarter.
Better than usual at the charity stripe, Howard was 8-of-11 shooting from the free-throw line in addition to dominating the paint, scoring 28 points to go with 12 rebounds.
Josh Eberley of Hoops Critic heaped high praise on Howard after his dominating performance:
The following stat from Synergy Sports Tech made even more sense after what Howard did to Dallas on Tuesday:
Howard's recent comments to Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling seemed to ring true after the final horn sounded:
"People might see me smile and say, 'He's not taking this seriously,' but sometimes that's my only escape from what's going on. If I was so serious the whole time, I might have a nervous breakdown and do something crazy. So me smiling and me getting out of that whole zone is preparing me for that next moment, that next game. I just hate that whole perception of 'I don't play hard' and all that kind of stuff.
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As impressive as it was to see Howard fulfilling his potential, Smith had a big hand in setting up Howard often, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
In a span of approximately four minutes in the third quarter, Smith scored nine points but also had two horrible misses from three-point range to allow the Mavs to get back into it. However, Smith hit Corey Brewer—who had 15 points off the bench—with two sweet assists in a redemptive final act, one on a backdoor cut and another to set up an open layup to stretch the lead to 98-88.
Former Detroit Pistons teammate Brandon Jennings tweeted his support for Smith, who had an unceremonious exit from Motown that led to his landing in Houston:
"Josh Smith hoopin' happy for him!!!
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) April 22, 2015"
Here's an idea of just how hot Smith was: It speaks volumes that the former Pistons forward reminded the NBA on TNT of a certain legendary point guard:
Then the Rockets' official Twitter account won:
MVP candidate James Harden has done so much to carry Houston throughout the year. When he wasn't having his best night (24 points on 5-of-17 shooting), his two talented teammates picked up the slack.
Among the problems this Dallas squad faced was the absence of Chandler Parsons due to a knee injury that may keep him out for the rest of the series, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. Also plaguing the Mavs was the seemingly self-imposed foul trouble mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo found himself in.
Yanked less than a minute into the second half with four fouls, the enigmatic Rondo's rocky relationship with coach Rick Carlisle continued in that vein.
ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon described the bizarre events that unfolded:
Grantland's Bill Simmons also weighed in on the odd dynamic between two of the Mavs' most important people:
Winning ugly can often sharpen a potential championship contender, which is what the West's second-seeded Rockets hope is on the horizon. Despite the disparity in the standings, this Lone Star State postseason battle has been a hard fight for Houston.
It has to be encouraging for the Rockets that they executed so well down the stretch after some ugly basketball for the first 36 minutes or so. Especially positive was that the big run came without any aid from Harden, who's capable of taking over a game all on his own.
If Houston is meant to have a chance to come out of the West, it has to continue protecting home-court advantage and needs players like Smith and Howard with tremendous skills to continue supporting Harden. McHale had to be pleased to see his team accomplish both those objectives Tuesday.
Now the question is whether the Rockets can carry this sensational finish over to the road, where a desperate Dallas team will be eager to climb out of a 0-2 series deficit Friday.
