Mavericks at Rockets
THE STORY: Dallas finds itself in a tight battle for the final three or four playoff spots in the West and has looked ragged, especially down low, in losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and San Antonio on Friday. The Mavericks try to snap the skid when they play at Houston on Saturday night. The Rockets are in a three-way tie for seventh with Utah and Denver. The Rockets have lost four in a row to the Mavericks and seven of nine.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Mavericks), FS Houston (Rockets)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (27-22): Dirk Nowitzki had perhaps his worst game of the season Friday, shooting 5 of 21 and grabbing a season-low two rebounds. “I had a brutal night,” Nowitzki said. “During the middle of the game I just could not get the ball in the rim. A lot of my shots were short. I did not have enough to get the ball in tonight.” Shawn Marion (sore knee) returned after missing three games but the Mavericks remain without Brendan Haywood (right knee sprain), who has missed four in a row.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (26-22): The Rockets hope to take advantage of the Mavericks inside. They punished Golden State 109-83 Thursday night, the fourth time in five games they have allowed fewer than 100 points. The Rockets have a three-game winning streak at home and Marcus Camby, for one, is aware of the playoff race. “I’m looking every night,” Camby said. “When we’re not playing, I know the teams in front of us and right behind us. I keep track of everything going on.”
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. This is the first of two meetings between the teams in the next three days. Houston plays at Dallas on Tuesday.
2. Nowitzki's 5-of-21 game against the Spurs was his worst since Feb. 1 when he went 2 of 15 in a loss to Oklahoma City.
3. The Spurs outscored the Mavericks 50-16 in the paint.