Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 NBA Playoffs, Western Conference First Round Game 3 – April 24, 2015

Mark Cuban is an outspoken guy, but the Houston Rockets are doing a very good job of silencing the Dallas Mavericks’ owner taking the first two games of the series. After Game 3 at Dallas, will the Rockets be a win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals? Or will Dallas ground the Rockets to make the series more interesting?

Read on for more about this game below. You can also click here for the preview of Game 3 of the series between the Cavs and the Celtics.
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Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview

Series Scores & Schedule

Game 1 – April 18, Dallas Mavericks 108 at Houston Rockets 118

Game 2 – April 21, Dallas Mavericks 99 at Houston Rockets 111

Game 3 – April 24, 7:00 PM ET, Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks – view all NBA lines

Game 4 – April 26, 9:30 PM ET, Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

Game 5* – April 28, TBD, Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets

Game 6* – April 30, TBD, Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

Game 7* – May 2, TBD, Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets

* If necessary

Betting on the Houston Rockets

Powered by James Harden, Dwight Howard, and a stout bench, Houston was able to crush the Mavericks again on Tuesday, 111-99. With another comfortable win as 8.5-point favorites, the Rockets improved to 5-1 ATS in their last six games, going back to the tail end of the regular season.

[sc:NBA240banner ]The pair of Harden and Howard was simply too much for Dallas. Harden scored 24 points, mostly coming from the charity stripe, where he went a perfect 13-for-13. Those free-throw numbers suggest that the Mavericks simply had no answer for Harden whenever he wants to score other than fouling him. Harden may continue to have his way against Dallas, especially if Howard and the rest of Houston’s supporting cast continue to play well and keep the Mavericks’ defense spread out.

Howard had quite a performance of his own in Game 2, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go along with two blocks. He was particularly unstoppable in the shaded area where he scored 20 of the Rockets’ 60 points in the paint. The Rockets have thoroughly abused Dallas’ interior defense, as they have already scored 111 points in the paint through two games of the series.

The reserves, meanwhile, were led by Josh Smith, who fired 15 points and dished out a playoff career-high nine assists. Smith’s range and ability to pass the ball partnered with Howard’s bullish inside game has driven Dallas’ defense nuts in this series. In fact, the Rockets have an incredible offensive rating of 123.0 when both players are on the floor in the playoffs.

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Betting on the Dallas Mavericks

It’s not yet time to panic for Dallas, but the Mavericks better win in Game 3 or fall into the proverbial playoff quicksand AKA a 0-3 series hole. And they may have to do it sans Chandler Parsons, who missed Game 2 because of a knee injury.

Parsons has been dealing with knee soreness and according to reports, there’s a chance that he’ll miss the rest of the first round against Houston. If Parsons remains out in Game 3, then Richard Jefferson and Al-Farouq Aminu will both be in line for increased minutes again. Neither player is on the same level as Parsons, especially offensively, but they’re practically all the Mavs have in the three position. It would be critical for both forwards to produce significant numbers to soften the blow of Parson’s absence.

Jefferson started in Game 2, finishing with just seven points in 23 minutes. Aminu also spent 23 minutes on the floor and chipped in nine points.

That said, Dallas’ fate is still mostly hinged on how well Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo, and Monta Ellis play. Of the four, only Ellis had a decent output in Game 2, finishing with 24 points, albeit on an inefficient 8-for-23 shooting. Nowitzki and Chandler, meanwhile, combined for just 21 points. That won’t cut it for Dallas, which desperately needs all the help it can get on offense to keep in step with the high-scoring Rockets. Overall, the Mavericks shot just 33-for-89 (37.1 percent) from the field in Game 2.

As for Rondo, he has a lot to prove in Game 3. He played just 10 minutes in Game 2, scoring just four points and making only one assist. Rondo’s playing time was limited due to foul trouble and was benched for the entire fourth quarter by Rick Carlisle.

Dallas is 8-2 SU in its last 10 home games against the Rockets.

Writer’s Prediction

Houston wins, 107-102.
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