Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
The Dallas Mavericks were unsuccessful in their mission of winning game 2 of the I-45 playoff series against Houston. The Mavs did very well until the fourth quarter when they fell completely apart, and lost the game 111-99.
The Mavericks began the first quarter going the wrong direction after committing a shot-clock violation in their first possession, and they were already missing shots, making awful passes, committing turnovers, and playing poor defense. But after allowing Houston to go on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes, the Mavs looked like they were ready to play when they scored six straight, but it was not before they committed three more fouls and allowed Rockets shooting-guard Jason Terry to make a three-point shot. Despite committing six turnovers and making a lot of mistakes, the Mavs turned things around, and managed to stay in the game. The first quarter ended with Dallas being up 24-23.
The second quarter started with both teams exchanging baskets, but things got a little physical when Tyson Chandler committed a technical on Dwight Howard. But Dallas didn’t let that break their concentration. The second quarter was just Dallas and Houston trading basket after basket. However, the Mavs were still having a major problem with their three-point shots as they were 2 for 11 heading into the half. Houston had the lead at 53-51.
The third quarter didn’t start so well for Dallas as Rajon Rondo drew a technical foul against James Harden less than a minute into the second half, but Dallas didn’t even let that mistake break their spirit. Dallas and Houston just did what they’ve been doing all game and that was trading baskets. But with five minutes remaining in the the third, it began to get scary for Dallas when they found themselves trailing Houston 73-66. But somehow, someway Monta Ellis made a three-point shot from beyond downtown to keep the momentum alive for Dallas. The third quarter ended with Houston in the lead by one.
The fourth quarter started out terrible for the Mavs. They were once again missing shots and playing very poor defense. These mistakes allowed Houston to go on a 11-0 run in the first few minutes. With six and half minutes left in the game, Dallas was down by ten, and it didn’t look good. Dallas’ defense completely collapsed. They couldn’t find a way to stop the powerful Houston offense from growing their lead, and they couldn’t make their own baskets. The fourth quarter was nothing but a nightmare for the Mavs.
Dallas needs to fix their problem with shooting and must improve their defense if they are to stay alive.
Game 3 will be at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday at 6:00 pm CT.
