Rockets are hoping to make it 2-0 against Mavericks in today’s match-up.
Dallas Mavericks have played Houston Rockets on Friday in Dallas, where the failed to impress their fans, letting Rockets finish on top (98-106). The match was relatively close till 3rd quarter, which ended with Houston leading by 10, and they did not let the lead go. For the home side Barnes made his presence known, with 31 points and 5 rebounds, whereas other players failed to do the same. All in all, despite losing both of their opening matches, Maverick can be happy their “new star” is providing good results for the team. On the other hand, Dirk Nowitzki was not able to play that match due to illness and is also questionable for the upcoming match. In addition, Devin Harris will also skip today’s match due to his foot injury.
Rockets are hungry for another win, which would make it 2-0 against Dallas this season. On Friday, we could see Ariza stepping up for his team, scoring 27 points in 36 minutes played, to which he also added 4 rebounds. Another 2 highly productive player in red jersey were Harden (26 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) and Gordon, with 18 points.
Looking at the statistics from both of the teams, Rockets moved the ball well throughout the game (21 assists) and their 3p shooting was decent (15/32, 46.9%). On the other side, Mavericks combined 13 assists, with their 3p game not being satisfying (8/29, 27,6%).
Verdict & Prediction
Harden has improved a lot from last season, and is looking more like the Harden from a year before. He is currently leading the league in assists (12.5) and his shooting is good as well (30ppg, 48,6 FG%). He truly is a engine in the Rocket’s squad and if he continues to play the way he knows, we could easily see Rockets in the Play-offs. As for the upcoming match, Rockets have already proven they can beat Mavericks on the road, so they should be able to repeat that at home.
Prediction: Houston Rockets -5.00 points
Odds: 1.95 Pinnacle
