Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks game preview

The Rockets wrap up a horrid road trip in Dallas

It’s not often that the Houston Rockets aren’t the primary focus of a game preview, but here we are.

Things are wild in Dallas right now. In case you’ve been living under a rock…you know what, I think even people living under rocks have heard about the Luka Doncic trade. I have friends with zero connection to basketball who have asked me about it. I’ve had people who know basketball inside and out ask me about it. No one understands it, and the only thing left is pure, unadulterated anger from the majority of the Dallas Mavericks fanbase.

Today is the first home game for the new-look Mavs. It’s also Anthony Davis’s debut with the team. The fact that it’s an afternoon game on a Saturday means that it will be readily watched and can be attended by practically anyone in the Dallas area. There is already a planned protest, and there have been reports of threats towards Nico Harrison, Dallas’s embattled GM.

That’s all newsworthy on its own, but we’re here to talk about a basketball game.

The Rockets are on a five-game losing streak and have fallen to fourth place in the Western Conference. Another bad week could drop them into the play-in, and it would be a tough climb back into the top 6 spots in the West. Houston has found different ways to lose each game, but the common factors have been poor defense and uninspired offense. Everything else has been going against Houston, including 50/50 balls, unlucky bounces, and the officiating. Seriously, Houston’s recent games in New York and Minnesota felt more like the Rockets taking on the Kevin Durant Era Warriors. I kept expecting Scott Foster to come out grinning after yet another touch foul sent Anthony Edwards to the line for his 29th and 30th free throws of the first quarter.

With all that said, Houston has done this to themselves. The injury bug has finally caught up with Houston after mostly giving them an easy November and December. Fred VanVleet is the one player this team cannot survive without, and that makes all the “extend FVV to a lower average salary” talk sort of moot.

As for Dallas, here’s what I think: the fans that are angry are not buying tickets. They’re going to protest outside and go on their way when the game starts. The fans inside will be the “This is my team and I love them with all my heart no matter what” sort, along with families with young children looking to take in a game. So I don’t think there will be many boo birds in the building. I think the Mavericks players and coaching staff will be extra motivated and we’ll probably see their best game of the season on both ends of the court. Anthony Davis might go for 50 points and 30 rebounds because he’s tired of hearing how old he is. It just feels more narratively correct for the Mavs to bring the city together with a win than to invite even more hate with a loss. And I think the league (and officials) know that Dallas needs this win more than any other non-playoff game in their franchise’s existence. So expect shenanigans early and often. And if you’re a conspiracy theorist and believe that the league did have hand in the trade going down, they’re going to make damn sure to deflect some of the heat tonight with a Mavs win. Dallas is favored for a reason.

We’ll be in the Playback room tonight, so you should come join to watch the Rockets and talk about the game. Remember, we get a handful of VIP passes that we give out to anyone who wants to watch the game. No League Pass necessary!

Tip-off

2pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network and Playback

Injury Report

Rockets

Jabari Smith Jr.: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Steven Adams: GTD

Cody Zeller: Probably not

Mavericks

Dereck Lively II: OUT

Caleb Martin: OUT

P.J. Washington: GTD

Dwight Powell: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

DAL -4

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow afternoon in Houston against the Toronto Raptors