Here are my 5 takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks’ 128-108 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center:
1. THREE DOWN, ONE TO GO: The Mavs were dominant throughout the game against one of their in-state rivals. In the first half the Mavs tallied a whopping 74 points. That’s the most points they’ve scored in any half this season. More importantly, the Mavs are 3-0 against teams that either won the NBA title last season, or were part of the conference finals. In addition to upending the Rockets by 20 points, the Mavs beat the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors (112-109) on Nov 17. They also defeated the Boston Celtics 113-104) this past Saturday. The Rockets lost to the Warriors in last season’s Western Conference Finals, and the Celtics lost to Cleveland in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals.
2. HARRIS/BAREA DUO : If there’s a better backcourt duo coming off the bench in the NBA than J. J. Barea and Devin Harris, speak now or forever hold your peace. The Mavs’ dynamic duo were at it again against the Rockets, terrorizing whoever was in their path. If Barea wasn’t slicing and dicing up the Rockets like a surgeon on the operating table, Harris was busy carving ‘em up from downtown. And they both did their damage in limited playing time. Harris was 5-of-6 from 3-point range, with four of those coming in the fourth quarter. He finished with 20 points and four assists in just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Barea had the Rockets on a string all night as he collected 13 points and 12 assists in only 18 minutes.
3. LUKA STRUCK AGAIN: I’m beginning to think Luka Doncic loves the big stage. And the bigger the stage, the more he just absolutely shows out. Case in point: Against the Rockets, Doncic scored 10 points in the first quarter, including a pair of heavily-guarded-shot-clock-running-out 3-pointers. He also drained a shot at the halftime buzzer. Two weeks ago against the Warriors, Doncic had 10 points less than five minutes into the game. And this past Saturday against the Celtics he was 3-for-3 from 3-point land and had nine points and five assists in the first quarter. Overall against the Rockets, Doncic collected 20 points and six rebounds. It was his 10th game of the season with 20 or more points.
4. SMITH CAME BACK STRONG: Any worries about Dennis Smith Jr.’s sprained right wrist were put to rest rather quickly. Smith was 4-of-8 from the field and finished with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and a blocked shot. He also showed off his speed – and his hustle — when he tracked down a pair of Rocket players. In the first half, Smith raced down court and swiped the ball from James Harden, and that led directly to a Mavs basket. And with 2:40 remaining in this blowout game — the Mavs led by 18 at the time — Smith did the unthinkable when he decided to chase down Gary Clark, who was ahead of the field and headed for a slam dunk. But the slam dunk was denied as Smith blocked the dunk attempt from behind.
5. HOTTER THAN A FIRECRACKER: The Mavs are hitter than a firecracker. They’ve won eight of their last 10 games and have moved all the way up to take sole possession of the Western Conference’s eighth seed. For those keeping track, that’s the last playoff spot out West. Not bad for a team that started this season with a dismal 2-7 record. And don’t forget, last year this time the Mavs were only 4-15 and headed straight to the NBA Draft Lottery. This year with two new starters in DeAndre Jordan and Luka Doncic to go with returning starters Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews, the Mavs have become one of the league’s up-and-coming teams. Especially since they also have arguably the best bench in the NBA.
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