Rockets at Mavericks
The battle over the final playoff spots in the Western Conference takes on a little head-to-head flavor when the Houston Rockets visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Rockets sit one game behind the Mavericks and on the outside of the top eight in the conference with five games left in the regular season.
Houston, Dallas and the Utah Jazz are fighting over the final two spots and the right to play historically strong teams Golden State or San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavericks were the ones on the outside before ripping off a four-game winning streak that featured strong defense and star-level production from J.J. Barea. Dallas’ last four opponents have averaged 86 points while Barea, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, has taken over for Deron Williams (sports hernia) and averaged 23.5 points and 6.8 assists in the four victories. The Rockets have managed to get up for big games of late and have three wins in their last five contests, with those victories coming over championship contenders Toronto, Cleveland and Oklahoma City.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ROOT (Houston), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (38-39): James Harden scored 15 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 118-110 win over the win over the Thunder as Houston stayed aggressive and battled back from a double-digit deficit. “The thing we have to stay conscious of is we can’t play to not lose,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza told ESPN.com. “We always have to play the same way throughout the game. When we do that, it gives ourselves a pretty good chance.” Houston will play its final four games against teams already eliminated from contention – Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota and Sacramento – after leaving Dallas.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (39-38): Dallas does not know when Williams will return and is without Chandler Parsons (knee) the rest of the way, but Barea and rookie Justin Anderson are stepping up in their absence. Anderson moved into the starting lineup at the start of the winning streak and his length and athleticism on the wing are big parts of the team’s defensive improvement. “Anderson has learned gradually, and his teammates have been a big part of his development,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “He’s been an attentive learner, and he’s a really big part of what we’re doing right now.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks star F Dirk Nowitzki is 21-of-76 from the field in the last four games.
2. Ariza is averaging 15.3 points in the last four games and has hit multiple 3-pointers in each of those contests.
3. Houston has taken two of the three meetings this season, including a 100-96 win at Dallas on Dec. 4.