Mavs vs. Rockets Preview: Dallas Looks For Consecutive Wins to End Road Trip

Coming off a much-needed win in Minnesota on Wednesday, the Mavericks can win their second-straight against a faltering Rockets team.

Michael Mulford | Dec 23, 2022

The Dallas Mavericks (16-16) stay on the road one more time to take on the Houston Rockets (9-22) on Friday night.

In the first matchup between the two teams this season, the Rockets got the upset victory, 101-92, as Luka Doncic sat out due to rest.

Dallas is coming off a 104-99 road victory on Wednesday over the Minnesota Timberwolves, avoiding a three-game losing streak.

Doncic led the way for Dallas against Minnesota with 25 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor.

The Rockets have lost four-straight games, last falling to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, 116-110.

Houston is in clear rebuild mode with a roster full of youngsters, but on any given night, if you don't bring it, the likes of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun can give the opposing team fits.

Here's everything else you need to know about tonight's game:

FUN FACT: Friday's game ends a four-game road trip as the Mavericks kick off a three-game homestand on Christmas Day.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (16-16), Houston Rockets (9-22)

WHEN: Friday, December 23, 2022 – 7:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: Toyota Center (Houston, TX)

TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League Pass

RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

ODDS: The Mavs are 6.0-point favorites over the Rockets

NEXT UP: Doncic and the Mavs will play host on Christmas Day to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at 1:30 pm CT on ABC.

FINAL WORD: "I think he's still in the process. It's way better than it was, just trying to help him, him trying to help me. We just got to communicate. That's what J-Kidd always says. Communication is key, so we got to do that more," Doncic said of Christian Wood following Wednesday's win in Minnesota.

As it looks like Wood may continue to get his shot as a starter, he'll have a juicy matchup against his former team on Friday.

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Published Dec 23, 2022

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.