The Dallas Mavericks' supporting cast felt horrible about wasting a vintage Dirk Nowitzki performance in a deflating Game 3 loss. They sure made amends for that with a rousing rout of the Houston Rockets in Game 4.
Dallas erupted for 94 points in the first three quarters in spite of an off night for Dirk by his standards, blitzing the Rockets from all angles early en route to a 121-109 win in front of their home faithful.
With the victory, Dallas avoids a sweep at the hands of their in-state rivals and pushes the series back to Houston for Tuesday's Game 5.
Key Numbers: 3-of-23, 16
Houston did fine when they either fed the ball into the paint or set up James Harden to slash to the iron. However, they were awful outside of the key for most of the night, missing a ton of mid-range jumpers while starting a dreadful 3-of-23 from beyond the arc.
They would hit four in a row thanks to a huge Josh Smith heat check in the fourth, but that still wasn't enough to erase the stink from the team's early shooting woes.
Another huge number? 16. That's the amount of offensive rebounds Dallas had, allowing them to pick up second and third chances when it mattered the most.
Dallas MVP:
Monta Ellis once again took it upon himself to will the Mavs along, posting a game-high 31 points (on 13-of-21 shooting!) to go along with six rebounds. With Chandler Parsons & Rajon Rondo, Sunday was the epitome of what happens when Monta Ball works.
Houston MVP:
Corey Brewer has provided veteran leadership and an instant spark in relief of James Harden in this series, and tonight was no different. Brewer scored 22 points in 32 minutes, shooting an impressive 9-of-15 from the floor.
What's Next?
The teams get an off day tomorrow before resuming the series in Houston on Tuesday night. A tipoff time hasn't been announced as of yet.
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