The Mavs will travel to Houston for one game before returning for a three-game homestand. The Mavs already have two wins against the Rockets this season, the last of which came in Houston.
Where's the offense?
For a team that was selling itself as being offensively improved this season, the Rockets have been pretty shabby in that department lately. They're averaging only 82.6 points scored in their last three games, and new coach Rick Adelman's supposedly up-tempo style has the Rockets ranked a paltry 22nd in the league in scoring offense. They're only averaging 94.3 points per game―far below what they were expecting when the season started. They're still fourth in the league in scoring defense, which is why they are still above .500, but they're going to have to score more if they want to keep up with teams.
Wells digging in
Forward Bonzi Wells has been a large disappointment for most of his time in Houston, but lately, he's been a solid contributor. He's been a little inconsistent, but has averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in his past five games. He's providing a solid spark off the bench most of the time, and when he's playing well, the Rockets get a big unexpected boost. With some of Houston's scoring guards missing games here and there with injuries, the Rockets have needed Wells even more.
They're supposed to be free
The Rockets had some major trouble at the free-throw line in their last game. They missed 14 of their first 15 free throws and finished the game only making 6 of 22 attempts for 27 percent Wednesday night against the Pistons. Compare that with their 6 for 15 shooting on three pointers, and it's even funnier. Since free-throw shooting is a Mavericks strong point, they should look to capitalize on a Houston team that ranks 23rd in the league in free-throw percentage.
Random useless fact
Tracy McGrady is featured in the music video for Mike Jones' "Flossin".
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
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