At 9:30 p.m. ET ESPN will tip off the second leg of its double-header in Dallas when the Mavericks (7-4) host Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets (8-4) in West Coast action that can be live streamed here for free. Listen to the Rockets radio broadcast on KBME Sports Talk 790, or catch the Mavericks broadcast on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket.
Prior to these two teams' first meeting, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was blasting Howard's decision to spurn Dallas' advances in favor of pairing with James Harden in Houston. Cuban was quoted saying, "Obviously, he made a mistake in judgment," Cuban said before the game. "Do I blame him? No, that's what young kids do. They make mistakes in judgment."
Howard responded with a 13-point, 16-rebound performance, and claims he harbors no ill will toward the vocal owner.
"What would you want him to say? He's taking up for his team," Howard responded. "I would do the same thing if somebody didn't want to play with me. I would think they made a bad decision ... if I would have went to his team he would have been happy."
Houston entered the season with sky-high expectations, while Dallas was flying under the radar, but Houston's defense may make for a crash landing tonight against the Mavericks and their five players averaging double-digit scoring.
"We've got so many guys that can score, and my main thing is attack and make plays for not only myself but for others," said Monta Ellis, the team's leading scorer at 22.7 a night. The Mavs are hot right now, having won four of their last five while surrendering under 100 points during that stretch.
Head coach Kevin McHale sees his charges making strides though. "I think the guys have done a really good job of being attentive and making corrections," McHale said. "We've still got a long way to go, but we're getting better all the time."
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