James Harden and the Houston Rockets seized a 3-0 lead in their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks Friday, winning, 130-128, in Dallas. Harden scored 42 points in the high-scoring affair as the Rockets were too much for an undermanned Mavericks team who almost rallied to a shocking win. Dallas is now on the brink of elimination in the first round for the second year in a row.
Rockets vs. Mavericks 2015 final score: 3 things we learned as the Rockets took a 3-0 series lead
Dallas tried to make the series interesting, but are facing an 0-3 hole.
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After the Rockets jumped out to a high-scoring first quarter lead of 42-36, the Mavericks stormed ahead in the second to take a 72-65 lead. And neither team slowed down -- the Rockets led, 101-99, after three quarters.
The Rockets jumped out to an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter and didn't look back, despite a few lapses that almost let the Mavericks back into the game -- and the hack-a-player strategy employed by Dallas. A Dirk Nowitzki three pulled Dallas to within five with 2:21 and Monta Ellis had the Mavericks down just three with 1:40 to go. Nowitzki hit two free throws to make it a 1-point game with 1:13 to play, but Harden answered with a layup and the foul to put the Rockets up four with 57 seconds to go.
That should have sealed it, but a foul on a Nowitzki three with 34 seconds left made things interesting. He hit all three free throws but Harden hit a jump shot -- one that bounced around for a while -- with 18 seconds left to give the Rockets a three-point lead.
After an Ellis layup and a missed free throw by Corey Brewer, the Mavericks had a shot, but Ellis missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Harden led the way with his 42 points and nine assists, but the Rockets' bench players were instrumental. Josh Smith had 18 points and Corey Brewer added 15. Dwight Howard, meanwhile, was a monster with 13 points and a career playoff-high 26 rebounds.
Nowitzki and Ellis led the Mavericks with 34 points each, but Dallas will need a miracle to come back in this series.
Here are three things we learned from the game.
1. The Mavericks wanted to make this a series
Even with Chandler Parsons and Rajon Rondo out, Dallas played to win. After a slow start, they pushed the basketball any chance they got. And it worked -- Houston's defense couldn't keep up and they jumped out to a seven-point halftime lead. They couldn't, however, match the Rockets for a full 48 minutes despite their best efforts. Nowitzki played like the star he is and Ellis attacked the hoop. J.J. Barea hit a few big shots and was valuable with 11 points and Al-Farouq Aminu brought it as well, adding 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Despite a few defensive lapses (see below), the Mavericks gave a spirited effort. It just wasn't enough.
2. Defense is not a priority for either of these teams
Was this game about great offense or awful defense? Exhibit A for the bad defense side of the argument:
The two teams put up 78 points in the first quarter and 137 in the first half, and neither team was playing crisp, unstoppable offense. Instead, a lot of simple pick and rolls -- especially between Smith and Howard -- and defensive breakdowns like the one above led to a barrage of points. Dallas, to its credit, forced a few turnovers on sloppy Rockets’ possessions and both teams had streaks where they tightened things up, but offense ruled the day in Dallas.
3. This series is over
It's not just that no team has ever come back from an 0-3 hole, it's just that Mavericks don't have the tools to beat this Rockets team. Rondo being off the court is probably a blessing for Dallas, but Parsons was missed. The Rockets couldn't slow down the Mavericks, but Dallas had even more trouble slowing the Rockets. Harden is too much and so are the rest of the Rockets -- who, if they can win Game 4 on Sunday, will have plenty of time to rest up for the winner of the battle between the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs.
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