The Houston Rockets (4 - 1) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (1 - 4) 103 - 94 on Tuesday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Coming out with just their second playoff series win in the last 18 years, the Rockets were able to close out the Mavericks in front of their home crowd. Houston got off to a quick start Tuesday, out - scoring the Mavericks 31 - 22 right away in the first quarter. The Mavericks were able to slowly make their way back throughout the game though, eventually coming to within five points with just over two minutes left in the game. The Rockets never let off the gas pedal though and closed out strong for the series clinching nine - point victory. The Rockets finished at 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from the three - point line, while the Mavericks shot 38 percent from the floor and just 19 percent from deep. Superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard were the biggest reasons that the Rockets were finally able to take the next step in the playoffs. Howard finished with 18 points (7 - 14 FG, 4 - 10 FT), 19 rebounds and four blocked shots, while Harden recorded a game - high of 28 points (9 - 19 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT), to go along with eight assists. Howard was a force on the boards, helping the Rockets secure a 53 - 47 rebounding advantage. It marked his 32nd career playoff game with at least 15 rebounds. Harden, on the other hand, did what he does best and that's score the ball at a very high rate. The Mavericks just did n't have an answer for him on the defensive side of the ball and he continued his season dominance. The Rockets also continued to reap the benefits of their Josh Smith pickup this season. He shot an impressive 7 - for - 12 from the field and 2 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 20 points off the bench, while also adding eight rebounds over 22 minutes. He averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds during this five - game series. Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki did everything they could to keep the Mavericks' alive in the playoffs. Ellis finished with 25 points (11 - 26 FG, 2 - 7 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT), seven assists and four steals, while Nowitzki had 22 points (8 - 23 FG, 0 - 6 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT) and 14 rebounds. Nowitzki really struggled with his shot early in the game, as he was never really able to get himself into a groove, but he played with a lot of heart and continually tried to bring his team back. Ellis, on the other hand, had a nice game shooting the ball. He did seem to bang up his knee late in the fourth quarter, so that's something to watch heading into the offseason. Al-Forouq Aminu had a solid showing as well, finishing with 14 points (3 - 8 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT), nine rebounds and five steals. He's been a pleasant surprise for the Mavericks all series long, and it looks as if he has established himself as a valuable player moving forward into next season. The Rockets will now await the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers/San Antonio Spurs series, which is currently tied at 2 - 2.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 1 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ,has 53 Rebounds ,has 4 Turnovers ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 19 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 47 Rebounds ,has 18 Turnovers ,has 1 Wins ."]