Mavericks at Rockets
Josh Smith has never been known for his defensive prowess, but the Houston Rockets sure looked better on that end with the lanky forward back for his second stint with the team. The Rockets will try to make it back-to-back victories in the second Smith era when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Smith helped Houston reach the Western Conference finals last season after coming over from the Detroit Pistons in a trade but left over the summer for the Los Angeles Clippers in a move that never worked for either side. The Rockets made the decision to trade for Smith again on Friday, and he immediately helped that night with six assists, three blocks and two steals in a 102-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks have plenty of talent to counter the Rockets despite the addition of Smith but are having some trouble against the top teams in the league. Dallas dropped a 109-106 decision at home to Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, and its last four losses have come against San Antonio, Cleveland and the Thunder (twice).
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), ROOT (Houston)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (25-20): Dallas had played two straight overtime games and looked set for a third on Friday before Chandler Parsons’ 3-point attempt missed the mark. The Mavericks battled back from deficits to force overtime and earn the win over Boston and Minnesota but could not make it all the way out of a 10-point hole against Oklahoma City. “It’s good from the standpoint that we never give up, and we continue to fight and give ourselves a chance to win,” Parsons told reporters. “But when you come across a team like the Thunder, who are so talented and have so many lethal weapons, it’s tough.”
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (23-22): The team change did not magically cure the shooting woes of Smith, who went 1-of-10 from the field in his debut, but his passing ability gave the team an added boost on Friday. “One of the things you'll begin to see as we go forward, the more involved everyone is, the more energy we have on the defensive end of the floor," interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "We've got multiple playmakers on the floor. Everyone seems to touch it more, and they're willing to get off of it and move it. When the ball moves like that, we're hard to guard because we have so many weapons offensively." Smith played 21 minutes in his debut after not getting off the bench in his last two games with Los Angeles.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Rockets C Dwight Howard (ankle) and G Patrick Beverley (ankle) are both day-to-day.
2. Parsons is averaging 28 points on 21-of-36 shooting in the last two games.
3. The road team took the first two meetings this season, with Dallas earning a 110-98 win at Houston on Nov. 14.