The Warriors swept the Pelicans, and other games in the first round continued.
The first is the second-place Rockets in the Western Conference against the seventh-place Mavericks. Although Beverley is out for the season due to injury, the Mavericks are not strong, so there is not much suspense in this matchup.
The Rockets, who performed well in the first game, took a big lead at the start and established the victory early. The Mavericks once took the lead in the second quarter, but in the second half, the crazy Rockets regained control of the situation and firmly controlled the lead. In the end, they contributed 24 points and 11 points.
James Harden, who had two assists, led the Rockets to a 118-108 victory over the Mavericks to get a good start in the playoffs.
James Harden scored 24 points and 11 assists. Ariza had 12 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Jason Terry hit 4 three-pointers and contributed 16 points and 4 rebounds against his old team.
Whitey Howard was trapped in a foul and only played 17 minutes and contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Corey Brewer had 15 points and 1 assist. Josh Smith, who joined in the middle of the season, had 11 points and 7 rebounds.
For the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki contributed 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 turnovers, Monta Ellis 16 points, 4 assists, Rondo 15 points, 5 assists, Tyson Chandler 11
points, 18 rebounds.
The second game was still played at the Rockets' home court. Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris missed the game due to injuries, but the Mavericks, who lacked these two players, performed quite well. They started the fourth quarter
They scored 4 points in a row to complete the lead. But then the connection between old comrades Josh and Howard became a turning point. Josh assisted Howard 4 times in a row to complete a beautiful alley-oop dunk, and the Rockets launched a 19-4 spurt.
Establishing a double-digit lead sealed the victory.
In the end, Howard led the Rockets to defeat the Mavericks 111-99 and took a 2-0 lead in the total score.
For the Rockets, Dwight Howard scored a game-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks. James Harden scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Josh Smith scored 15 points and 9 assists.
Assists, 8 rebounds, a near triple-double, Corey Brewer 15 points, 4 rebounds.
For the Mavericks, Monta Ellis contributed 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Second block.
The defeat in this game was not the worst news for the Mavericks. After the game, news broke that Rondo was at odds with coach Carlisle and announced that he would not play in the following games.
On April 23, the Mavericks officially announced that team star point guard Rajon Rondo would be out indefinitely due to a back injury sustained in the second game of the playoffs.
At this time, the Mavericks announced that Rondo was injured and was on "indefinite truce", which seemed a bit strange.
In the second game against the Rockets, Rondo only played 34 seconds in the second half and only 10 minutes in the entire game. Moreover, he did not sit on the Mavericks bench after the second half, but sat under the basket.
All signs are fascinating.
After the game, Rondo did not accept an interview but left directly, and Carlisle did not directly answer Rondo's questions during the interview.
"You can ask him himself. What I know is that we need everyone to stay in good condition. I like the way other people play, so I finally chose not to bring him back." Carlisle said.
After the game, Yahoo Sports reported that Rondo and Carlisle had a heated argument as early as February, and some sources even said that as long as Carlisle continues to coach the Mavericks next season, Rondo will definitely leave.
In addition, Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons will also miss all remaining games this season. Mavericks officials also said that Parsons will undergo surgery on his right knee.
The combination of various unfavorable factors makes the Mavericks' preparation for the game very difficult.
Although they were beaten by their opponents by 42 points in the first quarter and fell behind by double digits in the last quarter, the tenacious Mavericks still narrowed the score to 1 point at the last moment to ignite the hope of victory.
At the last moment, Harden hit a fatal jumper on the Rockets' side, and Ellis' high-throw layup on the Mavericks' side kept the score. Brewer's two free throws at the last moment gave the Mavericks a chance to tie or even win the game.
, but Ellis, who performed well throughout the game, failed to hit a shot from the top arc.
In the end, the Rockets, playing away from home, defeated the Mavericks in a thrilling 130-128 manner, thus rewriting the total score to 3-0.
For the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Monta Ellis had 34 points, 9 assists, and 3 steals.
For the Rockets, James Harden scored a career playoff high of 42 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. Dwight Howard had 13 points, 26 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
The fourth game was a battle of honor for the Mavericks. Although they were behind by double digits at the beginning, they quickly regained their feeling in the second quarter and contributed a wave. They had a single-quarter net victory in this quarter.
A 17-point offensive, and once established a 20-point lead in the third quarter to establish the victory.
In the final quarter, the Rockets relied on Josh Smith's crazy score grab to reduce the score to single digits. However, the tenacious Mavericks held on to their advantage. In the end, the Mavericks at home defeated the Rockets 121-109 to regain one victory, and the total score was slightly higher.
The Bulls trailed the Rockets 1-3.
For the Mavericks, Monta Ellis scored 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
For the Rockets, James Harden scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, Dwight Howard had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, and Josh Smith had 23 points and 6 rebounds.
,3 assists.
Two days later, with a big score of 3-1, the Rockets returned to their home court to face the Mavericks again. This was a game that both sides could not afford to lose, which also kept the suspense of the game until the end.
At the decisive moment, Harden first hit a fatal three-pointer, then successfully stole the opponent and assisted Jones to counterattack, widening the point difference and establishing the victory.
In the end, with Harden's key three-pointer and two assists at the last moment, the Rockets defeated the Mavericks 103-94 and won. This victory also helped them successfully advance to the second round of the Western Conference.
For the Rockets, James Harden scored 28 points, 8 assists, and made 6 turnovers, Dwight Howard had 18 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals, and Josh Smith had 20 points and 8 assists.
2 rebounds and 2 assists.
For the Mavericks, Monta Ellis scored 25 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 6 turnovers, and Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Overall, this was a series without any suspense. The Rockets were strong, especially Josh Smith, who was acquired in the mid-term trade, and performed extremely well. However, the Mavericks, who were not dominant in strength, lost one of their generals.
It also made people panic, so the ending was not surprising.
