Five questions ahead of Rockets vs. Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are back at home today for the first time since the Luka Doncic trade as they take on the Lone Star State rival Houston Rockets.

With today's Southwest Division game afoot, we spoke with Houston Rockets On SI contributor Amsal Madhani.

Jan 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes (5) defends against a shot by Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Rockets have lost five straight games. What’s been the reason behind it?

Not having Fred VanVleet on the floor has hindered Houston’s offense heavily over the last few games. The Rockets find themselves in close matchups often, and VanVleet’s veteran leadership has made an impact when it comes to closing these games out. Houston blew a 96-91 lead in the closing seconds of its matchup against Brooklyn, primarily because of rookie mistakes from their young stars. VanVleet has been the glue that keeps everything together for this team, and his absence has hurt them tremendously.

The Rockets didn’t do as much compared to the Mavericks at the trade deadline. What did you think of Houston’s moves?

The Rockets emphasize keeping their young core together, so it wasn’t surprising to see them be generally quiet this time around at the deadline. It was great to see them grab another draft pick to increase their trade assets for the offseason, however, it seems like they could’ve done more to help this team win now as they could’ve used another playmaker on the roster.

What’s one thing people should know about the Rockets that cannot be found in a box score?

The Rockets make great players work for their shots night in and night out. As great of an offensive player Kyrie Irving is, he will have a hard time scoring on Houston’s defense. He will constantly be chase around the floor by the Rockets’ defensive stars in Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks. Expect Tari Eason to get dirty down low and force Anthony Davis to make some mistakes as well.

If the Rockets won today, what would be the reason why?

The Rockets’ key to winning would be their shooting and scoring off turnovers. If Houston is able to shoot the three at a high clip and force turnovers, it will win in Dallas Saturday night. Its defense will always be there, as seen throughout most of the season, but it will come down to whether or not it can capitalize on the Mavericks mistakes and turn some of their turnovers into easy buckets around the rim and from deep.

What’s your prediction for the game?

I still expect Dallas to defeat Houston on Saturday night. My score prediction is 116-108. I expect Anthony Davis to put a stamp on this game early in his Mavs debut, being a force around the rim at both ends. The attention AD will command on the offensive end from the Rockets’ defense will open things up for Klay Thompson, who I believe will have a big night as well. That being said, this is a must win for Houston as another loss could cause it to fade further down in the Western Conference.

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