Houston plays Dallas on 4-game win streak
Houston Rockets (21-10, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (12-23, 13th in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston aims to keep its four-game win streak intact when the Rockets take on Dallas.
The Mavericks are 6-16 in Western Conference games. Dallas is fourth in the Western Conference with 34.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Anthony Davis averaging 7.4.
The Rockets are 11-9 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks second in the Western Conference shooting 40.0% from 3-point range.
The Mavericks score 113.6 points per game, 2.1 more points than the 111.5 the Rockets allow. The Rockets average 12.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.2 more makes per game than the Mavericks allow.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Mavericks won 122-109 in the last matchup on Dec. 7. Davis led the Mavericks with 29 points, and Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 27 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cooper Flagg is averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Mavericks. Max Christie is averaging 18.0 points over the last 10 games.
Amen Thompson is scoring 18.0 points per game and averaging 7.3 rebounds for the Rockets. Durant is averaging 22.0 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 3-7, averaging 117.9 points, 45.4 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.2 points per game.
Rockets: 6-4, averaging 119.7 points, 48.5 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 7.6 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.9 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out (knee), Dante Exum: out for season (knee), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (illness).
Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: day to day (ankle), Clint Capela: day to day (illness).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.