Rockets Visit Mavericks for a Halloween Showdown
The Closers. Toughest Task. Tricks and Treats.
In a Halloween affair, the Rockets visit Dallas to close their Texas road trip, facing the Mavericks on Thursday night. Houston is 2-2 so far this season, and the squad is coming off of two days of rest. Dallas is 3-1, and the reigning Western Conference champions look ready to defend their crown this season. The Mavs added sharpshooter Klay Thompson in the offseason, and so far he’s been a good fit with Dallas. Thompson’s always played well against the Rockets. Don’t be surprised if he has his best game of the season so far tonight. Houston’s perimeter defense will be the key to whether they win or lose this matchup. A victory tonight would be a huge boost in confidence for this young Rockets team.
Dallas is by far the toughest team Houston has yet to face this season. The Mavs are a threat to win the West again this year, and could be a potentially even deeper team with the addition of Thompson. The obvious suspects Houston will need to contain on defense will be the NBA’s best offensive duo, in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Both players are capable of scoring 50 points any given night. The Rockets need to prevent this from happening, and keep their scoring in the 20’s. P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, midseason acquisitions for Dallas last season, could quietly be spoilers tonight if Houston doesn’t win the hustle battle with this pair. Both players know their roles and fill out the Mavs starting lineup nicely. Derrick Lively II comes off the bench for Dallas as their Sixth Man, and also poses plenty of big problems. The Rockets need a vintage Alperen Sengun performance tonight if they want any chance of pulling of the upset over the Mavs.
Dallas is coming off an impressive road win over the Timberwolves in Minnesota. The Mavs’ lone loss came in Phoenix against a star-studded Suns team. Expect plenty of tricks and treats in tonight’s game, one that features plenty of stars in their own right. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun. At least three of those guys are future hall of famers, and if hopefully the other two will evolve into that realm for Houston’s sake. On a random note, tonight is the first time the Rockets will wear a jersey other than the Red Icon jersey they’ve worn over the first four games this season. Will tonight’s white jersey bring upset success for a young Houston squad? Can Sengun bust out of his recent offensive slump? Will Green rise to the occasion, and outplay Dallas’ deadly duo on the perimeter? This Halloween should provide the answers as some of the league’s scariest talent prepares to square off in Texas.
American Airlines Center: Dallas, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (2-2): White
Dallas Mavericks (3-1): Blue
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass