MyDallasMavs: Mavs Sweep the Rockets in their First Overtime of the Season

The Mavericks entered the Toyota Center Monday night to face the Houston Rockets in which was their second game of their last back-to-back of the season. They looked to win these last two games of the regular season while hoping the Lakers would lose just once, handing Dallas the number two seed. They also hoped they'd get their four-game season series sweep over the Rockets and win their third straight.

Houston was missing two of their starters: Luis Scola with a sore left knee and Kyle Lowry with a sore left foot.

Dallas had a sluggish start to the first quarter, trailing early 7-2 and shooting just 17%. But the Mavs battled back to lead 8-7 with less than 6 minutes left in the quarter. The Rockets finished the quarter on a 10-4 run and The Mavs trailed 23-20 at the end of the first.

It was a battle all throughout the second quarter as each team fought for the lead. The Mavs led 38-35 with less than 3 minutes left in the quarter as Chandler received his third foul. The Rockets tried to pull away but it was a failed attempt as Terry and Dirk sank baskets to keep them in the game. Gortat and Dragic scored a combined 26 points to give them the 47-42 lead over the Mavs, despite Dirks 13 first-half points.

In the first half, Dallas outshot Houston 45% to 37.8% while they both committed 11 turnovers.

The third quarter didn't start any better than the first quarter did for the Mavs as Roddy received his third foul early on in the quarter, adding him to the list with Chandler. The Rockets held control of the game, as Marion and Dirk's great gameplay kept Dallas in the game. With Martin's scoring and Miller's 3-pointer, the Rockets held on to a 71-67 lead to end the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was an intense battle for the lead as the lead changed every couple of possessions. The game was all tied up at 78 with 5:56 left to go in the game. For over two minutes, both teams went scoreless until Kidd fouled Martin, hitting both his free throws and putting the Rockets up 80-78 with under four minutes to go. Marion had a nice and-1 finish to put the Mavs up 85-81 with 1:34 left. But the Mavs didn't wrap it up from there as Courtney Lee hit an and-1 to put the Rockets up 86-85 with 10.8 seconds left. The Mavs held on to the ball with a chance to win it but Terry got fouled with 1.5 seconds left. He hit the first one but missed the second, tying it at 86, sending the game into Dallas' first overtime of the season.

Terry made up for his missed free throw by hitting key shots in OT and a couple free throws. The Mavs held on to the lead throughout OT and won it 98-91.

Despite Dirk's 8-22 shooting, he finished with a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Marion and Terry were right behind him with 21 points a piece. Chandler also added 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Martin led the Rockets with 28 points while Dragic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Lee and Miller both had 12 points, and Hayes added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Mavs got the 4-0 season series sweep over the Rockets and are now 28-13 on the road, maintaining their league-best road record. They also now hold a 1/2 game lead over the Lakers for 2nd seed.

Next, the Mavs will face the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night in their last game of the series, which could well be a preview for a potential playoff series.