Role players stepped up and the Rockets exploited Dallas at every turn for a 118-108 win.
HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets posed too many problems for the Mavericks in Game 1, constantly finding advantageous matchups and seeing their role players step up for a 118-108 win on Saturday.
In retrospect, perhaps the first four minutes were ominous of what was to come, since they could not have gone worse for Dallas. For starters, the Toyota Center was loud, booing Chandler Parsons every time he touched the ball and roaring at each good Rockets play. And there were a lot. The Mavericks offense looked jittery, committing a couple of horrendous passing turnovers and breaking down to very low percentage shots. They settled down as the quarter went along but still trailed 32-19 at the end of the first.
Behind Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks briefly led in the second quarter and only trailed 59-55 at the half. A back-and-forth third quarter ended with a Monta Ellis buzzer beating three-pointers -- his second in the quarter after going 25 days without making a shot behind the line.
But the Rockets had too many options to attack the Mavericks with in the final frame. Despite a vintage Nowitzki night (on offense, anyhow), Dallas' second and third scorers -- Ellis and Parsons -- were a combined 10-31 for 26 points, not nearly good enough to stay close. Houston simply had more depth and more answers than Dallas in Game 1.
3 things we learned
1. Corey Brewer buries his former team
Brewer was barely a Maverick, but he did earn a ring in 2011 and even had important playoff contributions against the Lakers. He did it again on Saturday, but this time against his former team, nailing three fourth quarter triples to help dig a shallow Mavericks grave.
This is the strength of Houston. Any given player in any given game can go for 15 or hit three consecutive shots or come up with a momentum-changing basket. That's what makes the Rockets so dangerous.
2. Old man Dirk has still got it
It's been a tough season for Nowitzki. At 36, he hasn't aged as gracefully as Dallas might have hoped and his defense and rebounding has suffered accordingly. Surprisingly, he's also gone through stretches of the season where his silky-smooth jump shot hasn't gone in with the same regularity we're all accustom to. Over the final weeks of the season, it appeared as if he was finally rounding back into peak form, at least on offense.
As it turned out, Nowitzki was just about the only player the Mavericks had going in Game 1. He has 22 on 9-11 shooting with a 3-point play, using the full arsenal of his tricks to score mid-range jumpers and even complete a four-point play. He just didn't have enough help.
3. In a small sample, Howard looked playoff ready
Dwight Howard played just 17 minutes while dealing with foul trouble, but when he was in the game, he was a force -- bullying the aforementioned Dirk, who just doesn't have much to give on the glass.
You might remember Howard was fantastic in the Rockets' first round loss to Portland last year, steadying the team even while Harden had a lackluster six games. Howard is the one player the Mavericks can't really account for, and if he can reliably step up as the second-best player for Rockets, it's hard to say how good they can be these playoffs.
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