Mavericks, Rockets look to rebound from opening losses
The Dallas Mavericks open their home schedule Friday night at American Airlines Center against the Houston Rockets, with both Texas rivals in search of their first win. The Southwest Division foes lost high-scoring season openers on the road Wednesday night. The Mavericks fell 130-121 in overtime at Indiana, while the Rockets dropped a 120-114 decision at the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas fought back from 14 points down late in the first half to send its first game into OT. The effort wasn't lost on Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. "I like the rally. I don't like going down 14," he said. "We spread the floor and got some penetration in, and it opened up some things. We were struggling through most of the game, and we had some good stretches late in the first half and parts of the second. "I like the way we fought and hung in, but the defense has obviously got to be better. Giving up 130 points is no way to do business, and it was a high-turnover game for two low-turnover teams." The Pacers shot 50.5 percent and outrebounded Dallas. Deron Williams paced the Mavericks with 25 points. Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea each scored 22, and Harrison Barnes added 19 points and nine rebounds in his first game with Dallas. Barnes sent the game into the extra session by hitting a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in regulation. "We battled and we fought, and we definitely showed some promise out there in a couple of areas," Williams said. "But if you look at, 130 points is just a lot of points, even in overtime, so there's definitely some things we've got to clean up and learn from." The Mavericks also jacked up 48 3-pointers -- one shy of their franchise and NBA record. Dallas made 18 from distance. The Rockets also let it fly from deep plenty in L.A., but couldn't find their stroke in the second half. Houston missed 15 of 16 3-pointers after halftime after going 6-13 in the first half. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni pinned the late shooting woes on fatigue. "We were 1-16 and that's the biggest telltale we lost our legs," he said. The pairing of D'Antoni's up-tempo system with James Harden did pay immediate dividends. The All-Star guard racked up 34 points and a career-high 17 assists against the Lakers. "Just being able to get my teammates the ball and give them opportunities to finish layups or shoot the 3," Harden said, "it's a good feeling, as long as they do the right things, like run the floor. I feel like it's my job to reward them." The Mavericks are facing Houston in their home opener for the third time in franchise history. The teams also square off against each other Sunday in Houston's first home game. The Mavs and Rockets will finish off their four regular-season matchups before the end of the calendar year with two more meetings in December. Nineteen of the last 25 regular-season meetings have been decided by eight points or less. Dallas has won 29 of the last 43 between the two teams, but Houston has taken six of the last nine. |