Dallas Mavericks (16-11, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (13-12, ninth in the Western Conference)
Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston comes into the matchup with Dallas after losing three games in a row.
The Rockets are 12-8 against conference opponents. Houston scores 111.4 points while outscoring opponents by 3.0 points per game.
The Mavericks are 11-9 in Western Conference play. Dallas ranks eighth in the Western Conference shooting 37.0% from 3-point range.
The Rockets score 111.4 points per game, 6.3 fewer points than the 117.7 the Mavericks give up. The Mavericks average 15.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.3 more made shots on average than the 11.4 per game the Rockets allow.
The teams square off for the second time this season. In the last meeting on Nov. 29 the Mavericks won 121-115 led by 41 points from Luka Doncic, while Alperen Sengun scored 31 points for the Rockets.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sengun is averaging 19.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Rockets. Fred VanVleet is averaging 18.3 points, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games for Houston.
Doncic is averaging 32.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists for the Mavericks. Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 13.3 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 5-5, averaging 113.4 points, 47.3 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 6.1 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 118.0 points, 41.7 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points.
INJURIES: Rockets: Victor Oladipo: out (knee), Tari Eason: day to day (leg).
Mavericks: Josh Green: out (elbow), Dereck Lively II: day to day (ankle), Maxi Kleber: out (toe), Kyrie Irving: out (heel).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
