National Basketball Association

Mavericks Vs. Rockets Game 2 Preview

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Dallas Mavericks look for a quick revenge opportunity this evening against James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Here are the keys to a Mavs victory.

Game 3 of the NBA season begins tonight and already the Dallas Mavericks will be playing their 2nd game against one of their more familiar foes, the Houston Rockets. Houston and Dallas have battled for position in the NBA playoffs the last few years and that battle does not look to be slowing down anytime soon.

For the Mavs to have success, a few things need to happen tonight. On Friday, Dallas kept up with Houston fairly well, but fell apart late in the game. The Mavericks were without Dirk, which of course comes with its own issues. But, we cannot lose every game that Dirk is absent for.

Tonight, The Mavs need to focus on just a couple things to turn their fortunes around and be ready to beat the Rockets. Here are the changes that need to be made.

Oct 28, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Offense

Harrison Barnes was the king of the court when playing on Friday. He was the best looking player on both ends of the court for either team and Dallas utilized it well. The first thing I would say for the Mavs to do is keep feeding Barnes the ball.

After a career high 31-point outing, Barnes is ready to follow it up again. Dallas needs to give him the chance to do so.

After Barnes, the Mavs need to hope Dirk is healthy and ready to score the ball. If we can get Dirk Nowitzki involved in the offense with Barnes, and take a few shots away from Wesley Matthews, it will help the team all around.

Oct 28, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) guards Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

Defensively, the Mavericks did alright against Houston. Limiting Harden to only 10 points in the first half and 26 overall is a pretty good outing for any team and you could see that Dallas was focused on limiting his scoring.

Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson and Corey Brewer were each held to only 5 points a piece. Those are pretty good defensive results for a high octane offense led by one of the better offensive minds in the game in Mike D’Antoni.

The problem the defense ran into, which has been a problem for Dallas in the past, is letting the supporting cast dominate. Trevor Ariza scored 27 points against us and Eric Gordon added 18. The Mavs are going to have to limit that if they want a win tonight.

The Dallas Mavericks are poised for their first win of the season tonight, but they will need a strong outing from Barnes and Dirk, while limiting Ariza. The game is tonight at 7:00 CT in Houston. Let’s go Mavs!