On Tuesday night, the Rockets traveled to Dallas to face off against a top MVP candidate in Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks (who have the best record in the league). Despite an amazing 45 point performance from Tracy McGrady, the Rockets fell short on the road in Dallas, ending their winning streak in a 109-96 loss. To make matters worse, McGrady left the game and headed to the locker room at the end of the game due to a sore back.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 30, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists, and hit all 10 of his free throw attempts. Nowitzki is hands down one of the best players in the NBA. Young star Josh Howard kept up his strong play, scoring 28 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Deaven George and Jerry Stackhouse were very effective off the bench for Dallas, as George scored 14 and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Stackhouse scored 13. Jason Terry was not his normal self in this game, shooting just 3 of 10 and going for just 7 points. He did, however, hand out 8 assists and grab 4 rebounds. Erick Dampier ended the game with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Tracy McGrady was on fire from the start, scoring 21 of his 45 points in the first quarter. Aside from the 45 points, McGrady also grabbed 5 rebounds and came up with 7 helpers. Juwan Howard was the Rockets’ second leading scorer with 16, as he shot 5 of 11 and grabbed 6 rebounds. Rafer Alston managed to nail 4 of 5 from beyond the arc to end up with 12 points and 5 assists. Dikembe Mutombo had yet another double-digit rebounding effort with 10, as he also blocked 2 shots and scored 3 points. Shane Battier and Luther Head had rough shooting nights, as they combined for 4-17 shooting.

Player of the Game: Tracy McGrady

45 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists

Leave a Reply