GameDay: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

Rockets at Mavericks

7:30 p.m. Friday, American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: FSSWRadio: ESPN/103.3 FM, ESPN/1540 AM (Spanish)

Records: Rockets 36-17, Mavericks 36-20

About the Rockets: Before the All-Star break, the Rockets dropped two of their last three games, including . That includes a 109-98 loss to Portland, despite 45 points, nine rebounds and eight assists from James Harden. Houston also lost 110-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers in its last game before the break. ... Harden is the NBA’s leading scorer, at 27.4 points per game. He also averages 5.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists. ... Trevor Ariza, averaging 12.6 points, and Josh Smith, 11.7 points, are solid contributors for the Rockets, while former Mavs guard Jason Terry averages seven points in 21 minutes. ... The Rockets are without All-Star center Dwight Howard, who hasn’t played since Jan. 23 because of a knee injury.

About the Mavericks: This is the second leg of a back-to-back for the Mavs. The Mavs only have four back-to-backs left after this one. . ... The Mavs are 0-2 against the Rockets this season, with both games in Houston and both the second of back-to-back games. The Rockets beat the Mavs 95-92 on Nov. 22, and 99-94 on Jan. 28. ... The Mavs are 17-9 at home. It’s the worst home record of the top seven teams in the West. ... The Mavs are averaging 106.3 points and allowing 101.

This story was originally published February 19, 2015 at 9:44 PM with the headline "GameDay: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks."