Mavs Lose At Rockets
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HOUSTON — Josh Smith didn’t need anyone to inform him that his performance had been subpar, from the damaging fouls on defense to the errant shots that undermined promising sets.
Encouragement, however, was welcome, and when Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale made clear to Smith just how much Smith would be needed in a sluggish back-and-forth affair Tuesday night, the reserve forward responded with jolt of effectiveness that turned the game on its ear.
Smith delivered a momentum-altering passing exhibition, and the Rockets pulled away from the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in this Western Conference first round series, claiming a 111-99 victory at Toyota Center and a 2-0 series advantage.
Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, including seven assists in the fourth quarter. During one decisive stretch, he fed center Dwight Howard (28 points, 12 rebounds) on four
alley-oop dunks, flipping a three-point deficit into a 94-86 lead.
“My coaching staff, my teammates kept me mentally focused on the game,” Smith said. “I just tried to come in the second half and be an impact player. That’s what I was able to do. I tried to fly around and just be a nuisance on the defensive end, and offensively be unselfish.”
By the midpoint of Game 2, Smith had missed 13 of 19 shots in the series and committed five turnovers against just one assist. In the second half Tuesday night he scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished out nine assists with one turnover.
Smith was frustrated by the intermission, largely a byproduct of three fouls that he found disputable. The second half was altogether different.
“I told him, “Hey, just hang in there and don’t let the fouls take you out of the game,'” McHale said of his halftime conversation with Smith. “‘We need a huge, big second half out of you.’ And he delivered.”
Smith also converted a driving layup during that run, and he tallied the final basket for Houston with a thunderous dunk at the 2:15 mark working the pick-and-roll with guard James Harden (24 points, six assists), who watched most of the runaway cheering from the bench.
Reserve forward Corey Brewer added 15 points for the Rockets, who will look to take a stranglehold on the series on Friday night in Dallas.
The Mavericks lead 84-81 before falling apart. Guard Monta Ellis tallied 24 points while forward Dirk Nowitzki missed 11 of 14 shots and finished with just 10 points. Nowitzki was victimized repeatedly on defense in the pick-and-roll, a clear point of emphasis for the Rockets.
“We obviously paid a lot of attention to James in the pick-and-roll,” Nowitzki said. “In the first two games they’ve been slipping out and making plays.
“That’s what we’re giving up in our pick-and-roll coverage. We’ve got to be a little better and not give up those lobs.”
The Rockets had the ingredients to build another first-quarter, double-digit lead, with Dallas committing five turnovers by the midpoint of the opening period and Harden making four field goals by the 5:45 mark.
But the Rockets squandered several sound offensive sets by blowing layups. And, after a 7-0 run out of the gate, they fell behind 22-20 when Mavericks reserve center Amar’e Stoudemire converted a three-point play with 32.8 seconds left.
Without forward Chandler Parsons (right knee) and with guard Rajon Rondo playing dispassionately (four points in 10 ineffective minutes), Dallas dug deep into its bench. From Al-Farouq Aminu to Raymond Felton to Stoudemire, Dallas found solutions to its hamstrung rotation. While inspired, the Mavericks didn’t have enough to claim victory.
“I liked the way they played,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s not about one guy. It’s about the team and the organization and the franchise. We have to collectively play our butts off. That’s what the playoffs are about.”
