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Rockets vs Mavericks Preview

Rockets vs Mavericks Preview
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Video: Roger Patterson sits down with Tim Yeager at the beginning of the NBA season to talk NBA basketball in the state of Texas.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: James Harden and Luka Doncic, two of the top 4 NBA scorers this season, go head-to-head for the first time this year when the Houston Rockets (11-5) host the Dallas Mavericks (10-5) Sunday afternoon.

The Dallas Mavericks are coming to Houston riding a 4-game winning streak. Through the first month of the season, Doncic is averaging 29.9 points, 10.4 assists and 9.7 rebounds, leading the NBA in triple-doubles (7).

Many members in the National Media recently have compared the 20-year-old's game to Harden. Both are elite-scores, great at getting to the FT line and have lethal step-back threes in their arsenal.

Doncic's has seemed to constantly get himself in the record books. This past Monday night, Luka scored a 42 point triple-double in a win vs San Antonio, becoming the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double that included a 40-point effort. The youngest being LeBron James.

"This guy can do anything he wants to on a basketball court," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Monday of Doncic. "He's having one of those magical runs right now. It's a phenomenal thing to watch. It's a phenomenal thing to be a part of."

Meanwhile, Mavs big man Kristaps Porzingis after sitting out last season with an ACL injury and beginning this year with just one double-double in Dallas' first 10 games, has now come on strong in the team's past five contests, recording a double-double in four of the five games. Porzingis has also been the Mavs protector of the rim averaging 2.29 blocks a game – 4th in the NBA just in front of Rockets' Clint Capela.

The Rockets will have their hands full Sunday afternoon and need to get back in the win column after dropping their last two games. Sunday's game vs Dallas begins a three-game homestand that closes out the month of November.

Fun Fact via ESPN: Harden and Westbrook are both averaging 20-plus points per game. The last time Houston had two players averaging 20-plus points in a season was 2007-08 with Yao Ming (22.0) and Tracy McGrady (21.6).

It's a great time to be a basketball fan, both north and south of I-45.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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