GameDay: Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets, Game 2

Mavericks at Rockets

8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Toyota Center, Houston

TV: KTXA/21, TNT

Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, ESPN/1540 AM (Sp.)

Series: Rockets lead 1-0

About the Mavericks: In Game 1, the Mavericks got one of the best games of the season from their superstar forward, Dirk Nowitzki. Unfortunately, Nowitzki was only able to get up 14 shots — he made 10 of them. The 71.4 shooting percentage by Nowitzki was his second-best shooting performance of the season. ... The Mavericks are hoping to get to the free-throw line more often than they did in Game 1 when Houston’s James Harden attempted as many free throws as the entire Dallas squad. The Mavericks were 14-of-17 from the line, and the Rockets were 32-of-45, including 15-of-17 by Harden. ... Dallas outscored Houston in the paint 58-50, but was outscored in fast-break points 29-21. ... The Mavericks must protect the ball better after Houston turned 17 Dallas turnovers into 23 points in Game 1. Nowitzki had six turnovers in the series opener after committing none in 25 games this regular season.

About the Rockets: The Rockets are a confident team although they didn’t get dominant performances from superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard in Game 1. ... Harden was just 4-of-11 from the field and finished with a team-high 24 points. But 15 of those points — in 17 attempts — came from the free-throw line. Howard scored 11 points in 17 foul-plagued minutes. ... Jason Terry and Corey Brewer, who were on the Mavericks’ 2011 championship team, combined for 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting. ... The Rockets had 11 steals and nine blocks in Game 1. Howard had five blocks and was instrumental in clogging up the middle during his short stay on the court. ... Terrence Jones is hoping to improve on his near triple-double showing in Game 1 (19 points, nine rebounds and six assists).

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "GameDay: Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets, Game 2."