Mavericks GameDay: Dallas begins another trip in Houston

Mavs at Rockets

2:30 p.m. Sunday, Toyota Center, Houston

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

Records: Mavericks 25-20; Rockets 23-22

About the Mavs: This is the opener of a three-game road trip for the Mavs, who play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and at Golden State on Wednesday. ... The Mavs were 2-1 on their recent homestand. They picked up overtime wins against Boston (118-113) and Minnesota (106-94), and narrowly missed another overtime game Friday against Oklahoma City. But Chandler Parsons missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Thunder clipped the Mavs 109-106. ... The Mavs are 1-1 against the Rockets this season, winning at Houston 110-98 on Nov. 14 and losing at home 100-96 on Dec. 4. ... In their toughest month of the season, the Mavs are 6-7 since Jan. 1. They have five games remaining this month.

About the Rockets: Center Dwight Howard (sprained left ankle) likely won’t play. ... Forward Josh Smith is back with Houston after he was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Smith played for the Rockets last season but signed a free-agent contract with the Clippers over the summer. He said leaving the Rockets was a mistake. Smith was just 1-of-10 shooting in Friday’s 102-98 win over Milwaukee but had two steals, five rebounds and six assists. ... The Rockets are fifth in the NBA in scoring (104.5 ppg) but 27th in points allowed (105.5 ppg). ... James Harden is the NBA’s second-leading scorer with 27.6 ppg, and also averages 6.0 rpg and 6.9 apg. Harden had 33 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists in Wednesday’s 123-114 loss to Detroit.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Mavericks GameDay: Dallas begins another trip in Houston."