James Harden, along with Josh Smith, led a balanced offensive attack to give the Rockets a 99-94 victory over the reeling Dallas Mavericks who have now lost four games in a row.
The Mavericks looked to get back on track at the Toyota Center after an embarrassing 109-90 loss the night before against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Mavericks looked to take advantage of a Dwight Howard-less Rockets team who was sitting out with a sprained right ankle. The Mavs won the rebounding battle for the first time in three games, 46-39, but 24 turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
The Mavericks would come out the gates fast while opening the game on a 10-2 run. They would then sprint to an early double-digit advantage, taking control behind the offensive success of leading scorer Monta Ellis and ex-Rocket Chandler Parsons.
Still, after leading by as many as 10 in the opening period, the Mavericks would take just a 25-24 edge into the second stanza. They would never see the lead again as the Rockets took control of the game from there thanks to countless turnovers by the Mavs offense as well as timeless missed free throws.
The Mavericks trialed 97-94 with 43.5 seconds left as the defense forced a James Harden miss and pushed the ball up the court. James Harden was called for a flagrant-1 foul on Tyson Chandler with 16.3 seconds remaining and a golden opportunity for the Mavs to complete the comeback.
However, Chandler misfired on both foul shots and Ellis failed to convert on a drive to the rim. The Mavs regrouped with 10.7 seconds remaining. Ex-Maverick Corey Brewer then made a critical defensive play on the following inbounds pass, forcing the ball off of Dallas' sixth man Devin Harris with 10.0 ticks on the clock.
A foul by Harris then gave Harden the opportunity to put the game away with 8.9 seconds left, and the league’s leading scorer calmly swished two free throws to add the finishing touches on the Rockets’ win.
Ellis led all scorers with 33 points on 14-of-23 shooting and added four rebounds and five assists while leading the Mavs in a losing effort. Parsons pitched in 21 points on 8 of 13 from the field against his former team. Nowitzki registered 14 points. Meanwhile, Al-Farouq Aminu added 10 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high six blocks off the bench.
Smith led six Rockets in double-figures with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting off the bench, while Harden finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. The Mavs outshot the Rockets for the game, however, 42.7 percent to 40.9 percent, adding a 46-39 rebounding advantage behind Chandler’s 15 boards. But the Mavericks couldn’t overcome the 31 Houston points scored off their 24 turnovers.
The Mavericks are looking for answers after tying their longest losing streak since the 2012-2013 season. They'll look to get back on track Friday, Janurary 30, against the Miami Heat as they play the second game of their three game road trip.
