The Houston Rockets (20) defeated the Dallas Mavericks (0 - 2), 111 - 99, in Game 2 on Tuesday at the Toyota Center. The Rockets had several opportunities to pull away throughout the game, but Dallas always seemed to find an answer. That is, until the fourth quarter, when Dallas stopped being able to counter Houston's haymakers. The Rockets were able to space the floor and find open cutters throughout the fourth, which led to them outscoring the Mavericks 30 - 19 to close out the game. Josh Smith led the charge in the fourth with his passing as he dished out seven assists, including a couple alley - oops, in the final period. Smith matched his playoff career - high for assists with nine and also added 15 points and eight rebounds to help Houston hold serve on its home court. The series will transition to Dallas on Friday for Game 3. Dallas was short - handed coming into Game 2 with Chandler Parsons (knee) and Devin Harris (toe) sidelined, but things were made worse by Rajon Rondo's unimpactful outing. In just 10 minutes on the floor, Rondo picked up four fouls, including a technical foul, and four points before being replaced by a combination of J.J Barea and Raymond Felton. Coach Rick Carlisle said after the game that it was his decision to hold Rondo out of the game after picking up four fouls. Dirk Nowitzki finished with just 10 points on an uncharacteristically poor 3 - of - 14 shooting performance. Al-Farouq Aminu provided a spark off the bench on the defensive end with two steals and three blocks. The Mavericks will look to get back into the series Friday on their home floor. Houston looks to be a more formidable team now that Dwight Howard has gotten back into a rhythm. Howard played 33 minutes Tuesday and led the Rockets with 28 points while also adding 12 rebounds and two blocks. A healthy Howard helps alleviate some of the scoring pressure on MVP Candidate James Harden, who hit all of his 13 free throws en route to scoring 24 in the game. The Rockets have a chance to take a commanding 30 lead in the series Friday in Dallas.
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