Mavericks at Rockets
Dwight Howard had a superb debut for the Houston Rockets and now receives the opportunity to have a big performance against the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Dallas was one of the teams Howard shunned in the offseason before leaving the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent and signing with the Rockets. Howard matched a career-high with 26 rebounds and scored 17 points as Houston opened the campaign by beating the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently still hasn’t moved on from being jilted in the Howard free-agent derby. Cuban said Thursday that Howard made a “mistake in judgment” by choosing Houston and called it a bad decision. “It’s nothing personal,” Cuban said. “I still like Dwight as a person. But I still want the Rockets – like every other team – to have a horrible season. It’s nothing personal. I just want them to suck.” Dallas opened its season on a good note as offseason acquisition Monta Ellis had 32 points and eight assists and forward Dirk Nowitzki added 24 points in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN Houston
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (1-0): Ellis was spectacular is his Dallas debut and impressed his most important new teammate in Nowitzki. “That’s what he has to do for us all season long,” Nowitzki said. “Be aggressive.” Ellis was perhaps a little out of control at times with seven turnovers but the Mavericks want to see their new shooting guard push the pace. “He attacks the rim and he puts pressure on the defense,” backup guard Vince Carter said. “It’s going to help him and help our team because we’ve got so many guys who can knock down shots.”
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (1-0): Star guard James Harden had a team-high 21 points in the opener while being bothered by wrist and back injuries. He indicated he will play against the Mavericks and was held out of Thursday’s practice to rest up. Harden was just 1-of-6 from 3-point range while veteran Francisco Garcia took over as the proficient marksman, knocking down five 3-pointers en route to 19 points. Garcia played 18 regular-season games for the Rockets last season, when 27 of his 41 baskets came from 3-point range.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks went 3-1 against Houston last season and have won 24 of the past 31 regular-season meetings.
2. Rockets PG Patrick Beverley (ribs) played just 10 minutes in the opener and Jeremy Lin (16 points against Charlotte) will start if Beverley can’t play.
3. Dallas had 31 assists in its opening win, 11 coming from new PG Jose Calderon.