The Dallas Mavericks will travel to the Toyota Center to face the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and can be seen on TNT, KTXA and ROOT-SW.
The Rockets enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Mavericks 118-108 on Saturday. James Harden played a pivotal role, recording his 21st double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 assists. Dallas still lost despite the best efforts of Tyson Chandler, who recorded his 31st double-double of the season with 11 points and 18 rebounds.
This has potential to be a mistake-prone game for Houston’s offense, which ranks 28th in the NBA in ball protection (turnover percentage of 15.9%). Dallas’s disruptive defense forces the fourth-most turnovers in the league (15.7%). Also, the Mavericks commit the fourth-fewest errors in the NBA (turnover percentage of 12.7%), while the disruptive defense of the Rockets causes the fifth-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.5%).
The odds for Houston and Dallas are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Rockets come into this game 56-26 Straight Up (SU) and 48-34 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-8 SU and 9-7 ATS against divisional opponents. The Rockets lead the NBA in three-point field goals, making 933 from beyond the arc (11.4 per game). Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Rockets prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking first in the league with a .322 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Houston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.9 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Mavericks have 50-32 SU and 35-44-3 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Dallas has a 7-9 SU and a 6-10 ATS record. Dallas is the second-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.3 per game. One advantage for the Mavericks could be Houston’s high fouls per game average of 22.0.
The Rockets’ win over Dallas in their last game bumped their SU record to 6-4 over the Mavericks in the last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Rockets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. Houston held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Dallas never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Houston’s offense and Dallas’ defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Houston scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Dallas gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Houston and Dallas are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Houston scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Dallas allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Rockets are 35-4 on the season. When the Mavericks score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 8-19.
Houston is 21-22 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Mavericks have a tremendous 42-13 record when they hit the century mark.
The Mavericks have a defensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 20th). The Rockets rank 12th for their offensive rating of 104.0.
The Houston Rockets average 100.0 possessions per game and 1.040 points per possession, while the Dallas Mavericks earn fewer possessions (98.6) but more points per possession (1.067).
Houston is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.2% (ranked seventh in the NBA). Dallas is a losing 11-24 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Dallas Mavericks make 22.5 assists per game and the Houston Rockets make 22.2. Dallas is ranked eighth, while Houston is ranked ninth.
The Houston Rockets average 5.0 blocks per game for a rank of 10th. The Dallas Mavericks rank lower (20th), earning 4.5 blocks each game.
Houston is ranked seventh in offensive rebounding. Dallas ranks 23rd in defensive rebounds.
The Dallas Mavericks rank 10th in steals, with an average of 8.1 per game. When the Houston Rockets allow at least 8 steals, they have a solid 36-21 record.
