Rockets vs. Mavericks: 5 Questions Ahead of Matchup

The Houston Rockets are visiting the Dallas Mavericks this afternoon to close out their road trip.

With the game quickly on the horizon, we spoke with Dallas Mavericks On SI contributor Keenan Womack to learn more about the newest opponent for the Rockets.

It’s been a week, but the Luka Doncic trade is still extremely shocking. What are your thoughts on it?

It’s been a tough week for sure. It’s hard to really quantify the devastation that the Dallas fans feel about this trade – the term “backstabbed” has been used plenty of times, and I think that’s one way to sum up their feelings about it. While the team may be successful to a degree this and next season, it’s also fair to say that the future is in question as well as that a good portion of the team’s charm is gone. That’s not a knock on Anthony Davis or any current Maverick, but Doncic was a guy that Dallas watched grow into the superstar he is today. The current team feels like an expansion team or something similar to that.

Anthony Davis is expected to make his debut today. What do you make of his impact on the team?

I think Davis will be impactful on both ends and do what he does best, which is patrol the paint and finish plays while providing extra shooting on offense. While Davis is a HOF player, and one of the best at his position we’ve ever seen, it’s still difficult to imagine he’ll have a decade-long impact like Doncic could have had in Dallas. He’s on the wrong side of 30, and has an injury history to boot. Still, I like what he brings to the front court, especially with Dereck Lively II out for 2-3 months.

What’s one thing about the Mavericks that people should know but won’t be found in a box score?

It’s hard to say anything concrete about this team since we have only seen them without Doncic on the roster three times with three very different outcomes (blowout loss to Cleveland, close loss to Philadelphia, win over Boston on the road). I suppose one thing that would qualify is that they contest shots well both on the perimeter and the interior. This should only be boosted by Davis and has already been improved by wing Max Christie.

What do the Mavericks need to do to win this game?

The Mavericks need to figure out their ball handling rotation first of all. Though they have Exum back, it will be tough with only Kyrie Irving, Exum, and Jaden Hardy as primary ball handlers. If they can however get good distribution from irving at the 1, then they have a shot to compete in this game, though I don’t think there’s a very good possibility that they win, especially with the weird energy that will be in the building on Saturday afternoon.

What’s your prediction?

I think Houston probably wins this game by double digits. I understand that they’re in the midst of a five-game skid, but it feels like this game against the Mavericks will be a get-right outing for the Rockets. I don’t see anyone that can contain Amen Thompson getting downhill save for Max Christie (maybe the newly acquired Caleb Martin), but the anger and disillusionment the fansbase has with the franchise will be palpable in the arena. Houston wins this game and bounces back from their losing streak.

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