Rockets vs. Mavericks: Houston Attempts To Slow Down Longtime Nuisance Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Houston Rockets will have a tough challenge trying to contain Luka Doncic Friday night, but Tim Hardaway Jr. remains a tough assignment when facing the Mavericks.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets (9-22) will end their seven-game homestand Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks (16-16) inside the Toyota Center. A win against Dallas would end Houston's four-game losing streak.

The Rockets won their previous contest against the Mavericks in a 101-92 road victory in November. 

Coach Stephen Silas believes there isn't too much the Rockets could take from their early season victory, given that Luka Doncic was out due to injury. 

But the addition of Doncic will add to the Rockets' challenges when facing the Mavericks due to Tim Hardaway Jr. being a continuous nuisance on the defensive end. 

"He has a quick trigger, and when he gets hot, he is hot," Silas said. "He is a guy that is at the top of the scouting report. A lot of their guys benefit from their pick-and-roll game, but Hardaway especially because he gets it off so quick."

Since he joined the Mavericks in 2019, Hardaway has had some of his best career games against the Rockets. 

Hardaway's best performance came in January of 2021 when he led the Mavericks to a 113-100 road victory. He scored 30 points on 8-of-10 shooting from behind the arc and seven rebounds.

"They will have the same shooting, like Hardaway, on the floor, but it's a different game when Luka is out there," Silas said. "He handles [the ball] so much, it makes it difficult to compare the two games. Luka is just different." 

The Rockets came one block shy of tying the franchise record with 19 rejections during their previous meeting. Alperen Sengun set the defensive tone for the Rockets with five blocks, while Usman Garuba added three.

Hardaway scored a game-high 28 points in the loss. He is averaging 19.5 points in 11 games when facing the Rockets as a member of the Mavericks.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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