Mavs Must Win
The Mavericks must win against the Rockets tonight when they host them at home. They must also win against the Spurs Wednesday night if they want to see how they’ll stand in their division in what will likely be another tight Southwest battle between the Texas teams that usually dominate the playoff picture.
It’s too bad they aren’t starting off playing the Rockets in Houston, Jason Terry usually does very well in the Rockets home turf.
The Rockets are off to a good start despite not having Yao. Ariza and Brooks are both picking up the slack, averaging 18 PPG plus for each. The Ariza pickup for Houston was a good choice so far.
As for the Spurs, I’m not as worried since the Mavs have sort of keeping them in check for the past couple of seasons, sending them off packing in the first round of the playoffs last season in just 5 games but they were Ginobililess.
But with Manu Ginobili coming back strong, with a recent 36 point game against the Raptors while Duncan was out, they feared this game but with supporting cast members Jefferson and Hill each scoring over 20 points, they’re lucky the Raptors play poor defense overall.
What the Mavs need to do is stop Ariza and Brooks to beat the Rockets. If they keep up with their strong 4th quarters they’ve been having, they should win this game if they step up their defense in the process.
As for the Spurs, stop Ginobili, especially if Duncan is out again. He’s their top scorer coming off the bench as their 6th man. If Parker is out as well, this should help the Mavs with a win away on the road in Spurland.
But these two games are crucial for the Mavs and their division standing since they lost to the Hornets.