The Dallas Mavericks threw out all the brooms at the American Airlines Center as they willed themselves to a 121-109 must win victory over the Houston Rockets. 

There were more injury concerns entering the game as Richard Jefferson was nursing a leg injury and would suit up but would come off the bench after starting the last two games. Instead Rick Carlisle elected to go with the highly energetic Al-Farouq Aminu at the small forward position which would pay dividends on both sides of the floor. 

The Dallas Mavericks would rely on superb performances from their starting guards, Monta Ellis and J.J. Barea, and starting small forward, Al-Farouq Aminu to prevent an embarrassing sweep to their interstate rivals, Houston Rockets, and force a game 5. However, it didn't seem that way early on as James Harden picked up right where he left in game 3 where he had a playoff career high, 42 points. 

Meanwhile, Rockets center Dwight Howard took advantage of two quick fouls on Tyson Chandler, dominating the painted area in the opening quarter. And after Harden got the roll on a runner to close the first period, the Mavs fell into a 34-25 hole following 12 minutes of play.

The second quarter started much in Houston's favor as the Mavericks could do little to keep Dwight Howard from dominating inside and it resulted in Rick Carlisle being called for a technical with 9:33 remaining. Not too long after Devin Harris would be called for a flagrant 1 for delivering a hard blow to Dwight Howard with 8:59 left in the first half. It would result in a rallying cry for the Mavs with Monta Ellis and J.J. Barea leading the attack. Chandler’s two-handed putback after a block by Dwigh Howard inside on J.J. Barea then tied the game at 44-all as the Mavs continued to build momentum.

J.J. Barea's 10 points on 4-of-7 shotting to go along with three assists led a 30-12 run by the Mavericks to close the first half and give themselves 61-53 lead at intermission and an arena rocking as loud as it had all season long.

Led by 25 combined points from the backcourt of Barea and Ellis on 11 of 21 from the field, the Mavericks outshot the Rockets through two quarters, 52.9 percent to 46.3 percent. The Mavs also held a 32-19 advantage in the rebounding department behind Aminu’s nine boards in the first unit.

In the third quarter the Mavericks' Al-Farouq Aminu continued to contain James Harden on the defensive end and it led to Dallas quickly building their own double-digit lead early in the second half. Aminu then provided a bit of offense, splashing a corner three to give the Mavs a 72-56 advantage with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter.

Monta Ellis took matters from there, spinning around Rockets forward Trevor Ariza to cap a 20-2 run while putting the Mavericks up 81-57 with 4:34 left in the third. The separation on the scoreboard then peaked at 24 in the period before Jefferson got the friendly bounce on a corner trey to take the Mavs into the fourth with a 94-75 margin under their belt.

It seemed like the Mavericks would coast to an easy victory in the fourth quarter but Josh Smith would take over for Houston as he continued his second-half dominance in this series. Smith would go on a three-point shooting spree hitting three from beyond the arc and taking advantage of the Mavericks down low around the basket. The Rockets would cut the lead down to 109-100 with 4:30 on the clock but it wouldn't get any closer after that. 

Dirk Nowitzki would hit a pair of mid-range jumpers that pushed the lead back to 13 and seal the game for Dallas. The Mavericks up and down tempo formula worked and held off the Rockets enough for the victory in the end unlike in game 3 where they fell just a Monta Ellis 2-pointer short.

Monta Ellis scored 31 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists to boot. After never scoring more than 30 points in his playoff career Ellis has caught fire when the Mavericks have needed him the most and will need to carry the hot hand into Houston if they're to bring the series back to Dallas. J.J. Barea has also been a big key to the Mavericks' offense as he added 17 points and 13 assists in the first unit, while Aminu also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Scoring 10 in the fourth, Dirk Nowitzki registered 16 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Tyson Chandler scored 10 points and grabbed 14 boards inside.

James Harden led five Rockets in double figures with 24 points on 7 of 15 from the field. However, the Mavericks finished the night outshooting the Rockets, 54.3 percent to 46.9 percent, adding a 52-38 rebounding advantage to overcome the 19 Houston points off 15 Dallas turnovers.

The Dallas Mavericks had numerous second chance points and beat the Rockets on the boards 52-38 and Al-Farouq Aminu being inserted into the starting lineup was a big reason why.

The series now moves back to Houston for Game 5 Tuesday night, April 28, as the Dallas Mavericks look to pick up another victory and extend the series with hopes of returning to Dallas for a Game 6.