HOUSTON – A portion of the game that’s not normally a problem for the Dallas Mavericks wound up being crucial during
Wednesday’s 110-99 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The Mavs committed a whopping 20 turnovers, and the Rockets turned them into 22 points while handing Dallas it’s fourth loss in the last five games. The Mavs had just three turnovers in the first quarter, but added five in the second quarter, seven in the third quarter and five more in the fourth quarter in finishing this weeklong trip with a disappointing 1-3 record.
“If you don’t get shots against Houston it’s going to be tough,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We got to take care of the ball.
“We started the game off right. But then in that first half we sent them to the free throw (19 times). We fouled a lot, especially in that first quarter (when Houston attempted 13 free throws).”
Klay Thompson, who scored eight of his 16 points when the Mavs busted out to a 16-6 lead less than five minutes into the game, noted it’s difficult to win a game 
when they have to overcome so many turnovers.
“And that’s on me,” Thompson said. “I can’t have five turnovers. I had some uncharacteristic turnovers.
“I’ve got to be more sure with the ball, but I’ll be better in a couple of days against a really good team.”
The loss was the third in a row for the Mavs and dropped them to 20-14 going into Friday’s home game against the highly-regarded Cleveland Cavaliers, who own the best record in the NBA.
In addition to Thompson, the Mavs got 17 points and five rebounds from Quentin Grimes, and 16 points, seven boards, three steals and two blocks from Kyrie Irving. Also for the Mavs, Jaden Hardy collected 11 points.
Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green were the pacesetters for the Rockets (22-11) with 23 and 22 points, respectively, Dillon Brooks scored 19 points, Cam Whitmore tallied 18 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. added 12 points.
Houston made 15-of-23 shots in the second quarter, outscoring Dallas, 37-22, to assume a 61-52 lead at intermission. The Rockets went on to stretch that lead to as much as 17 points in the third quarter and 18 points in the fourth.
The Mavs played without superstar point guard Luka Dončić (left calf strain). And forward Naji Marshall was also sidelined while serving the third of his
NBA-mandated four-game suspension for his role in last Friday’s altercation against the Phoenix Suns.
Plus, to add insult to injury, forward P. J. Washington missed the game’s second half after he suffered a right knee sprain in the first half. That put a cramp in the Mavs’ style.
“He’s kind of our most important guy we have on the court,” Grimes said. “He does it all – shoots, defends. Everything he does he impacts the game, so it’s tough knowing that we didn’t have kind of our most important guy on this team.
“But we’ve got plenty of guys that can kind go out and fill a role and just try to impact the game like he does. But it’s tough when you’ve got the guy who does so much for us go out in the second half.”
Kidd agreed with Grimes on how the loss of Washington impacted the Mavs.
“With (Washington) going down with the injury, that put a little bit more of a challenge for other guys,” Kidd said. “But next man up, and unfortunately we just didn’t have enough firepower tonight to get a win.”
For the Rockets, Sengun was busy mixing it up on the inside, while Brooks tallied 16 of his points in the second half.
“He’s scrappy,” Grimes said, referring to Brooks. “He’s going to muck the game up a little bit, he’s going to get the crowd involved, he’s going to get his teammates involved (and) he’s going to get himself involved.”
The Mavs got a bump from center Dereck Lively II, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with a left hip contusio
n. Although Lively was on a minutes restriction, he finished with eight points, six rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 20 impactful minutes.
“He was good,” Kidd said. “With the minutes that he could play, he was productive and hopefully we can build on those minutes.”
What the Mavs truly would like to build on is getting all of their players healthy so they can be in position to show everyone what they’re capable on.
“There’s going to be a time when we go on a great run when we’re completely whole,” Thompson said. “That’s the nature of the business. You’ve got to hold down the fort when guys are out.
“When we’re a complete team I think we’re one of the better teams in the league. But that’s what makes great runs that much sweeter is times of adversity, especially when guys are in and out of the lineup. This is the time to be tested and see how we respond.”
X: @DwainPrice
Share and comment