The Dallas Mavericks play in the second game of a back-to-back after their three-game win streak was broken by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
The NBA schedule can be ruthless. That much is evident in this two-game stretch where the Dallas Mavericks had their hearts viciously ripped out of their chest by the historically hot 22-1 Oklahoma City Thunder, who ended Dallas' three-game win streak in a brutal 132-111 final that saw the defending champs outscore the Mavs by 30 points in the middle two quarters.
Now, Dallas returns home to the American Airlines Center to host another stout rival: the 15-5 Houston Rockets, who sit one spot behind OKC in the Western Conference standings.
“We don’t have time to dwell on it," Mavs forward Anthony Davis said after Friday's loss, in which he only scored two points (a fourth-quarter layup) on 1-9 shooting to go with two missed free throws.
Davis was bumped off his spot throughout this matchup with the Thunder, the NBA's most complete defense that was still without Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein. AD bumped knees with Chet Holmgren during the second half, but after having it wrapped on the bench to close out the loss, Davis said the injury is "fine" and expects to be ready to play against Houston.
The Mavericks will look to get Davis more touches in and around the paint on Saturday, something that was difficult to come by against Oklahoma City inside Paycom Center.
“We knew the paint would be packed,” coach Jason Kidd said. “AD’s ability to score was limited due to that and his teammates gotta step up. We just didn’t score there. I think we made a lot of the right plays. We just missed shots or we turned it over. We gotta look at how we can get him better looks, even with the double teams.”
Kidd can expect the interior pressure to be there once again against the Rockets, who possess one of the league's largest and longest five-man lineups, including defensive specialist Amen Thompson, 7-foot scoring machine Kevin Durant, crafty big man Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.
Houston is also coming off the front half of a back-to-back, where they defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-98 in Houston on Friday. Sengun did not play, but Thompson picked up the scoring with 31 points, and Durant's 28 points leapt him over 31 thousand for his career, making him the eighth player in NBA history to hit the milestone.
How to Watch, Betting Odds
Who: Houston Rockets (15-5) vs. Dallas Mavericks (8-16)
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
When: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
TV: KFAA
Additional affiliates: Mavs.com, NBA League Pass
Radio: 97.1 The Eagle (KEGL in DFW)
Spread: Houston -8.5
Total: 224.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Houston -360, Dallas +285