Ariza, Harden lead Rockets past Nowitzki-less Mavs
DALLAS -- Trevor Ariza scored 27 and James Harden added 24 points to lead the Houston Rockets past the Dallas Mavericks 106-98 Friday night at American Airlines Center.
The Rockets (1-1) evened their record as they started the season with two road games. Dallas (0-2) dropped its home opener for the second consecutive year.
The Southwest Division rivals hook up again Sunday in Houston's home opener.
Ariza repeatedly burned the Mavs from the perimeter, knocking down 5 of 7 3-pointers. He made 8 of 12 attempts overall and all six of his free throws.
Harden's move to point guard took another step forward with a game-high eight assists two nights after a career-best 17 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Harden connected on 9 of 18 from the floor, including 4 of 9 on 3s, and grabbed seven boards.
The Mavericks were without an ill Dirk Nowitzki, prompting Rick Carlisle to insert sixth man J.J. Barea into the starting lineup. Harrison Barnes slid into Nowitzki's power forward spot and had a career night.
Dallas' signature offseason signing scored a personal-best 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting. Barnes never took that many shots in a game in four seasons with Golden State.
Erick Gordon scored 18 for the Rockets, who made 15 of 32 3-pointers.
After taking 48 3-pointers at Indiana, Dallas launched 29 against Houston. The Mavs made only eight.
Houston began to separate late in the third. A pair of 3-pointers from Harden helped the Rockets take a 10-point lead (77-67) in the final quarter and the Mavericks never threatened down the stretch.
The teams traded runs in the first half, with Houston ripping off a 10-0 spurt before the Mavs scored 12 straight. The lead would change hands 17 times before break, as the Rockets took a 52-50 edge into the locker room.
Ariza scored 14 in the first half and Gordon had 12 points. Harden, after missing all five of his shots in the first quarter, scored 10 points late in the second period.
Deron Williams had 13 of his 14 points for the Mavs in the first half. Barea scored 10.
Nowitzki, in his 19th season, missed just his second home opener. The only other absence was 2012-13 when he was recovering from knee surgery.
NOTES: Mavericks C Andrew Bogut was given the choice this past offseason to be traded to either the Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets from the Golden State Warriors. He chose Dallas for several reasons, including long-term fit. "Rick Carlisle is also one of the best coaches in the league," Bogut said. "He knows how to get the best out of his players. He's very, very smart and makes great adjustments. He's a guy you want to play for. Obviously, (Mike) D'Antoni is a pretty good coach, too, but probably not suited for my style of play. I would have probably had to drop about 20 pounds to play in his system." ... Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki (stomach illness) did not suit up. ... Houston C Nene (thigh contusion) was active.