Six Western Conference teams have already clinched playoff berths with just under 10 games left to play in the 2015 season. The Houston Rockets are certainly one of those teams, but the Dallas Mavericks are not. They aim to change that on Thursday. With a playoff berth all-but guaranteed for the Mavericks, the team still needs a series of strong wins in their upcoming three-game homestand to get them over the edge. It starts Thursday as they face the Rockets in an in-state rivalry matchup.
Dallas is fresh off a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder which helped their cause of getting a playoff game. The team is currently sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with four games between them and the Thunder. However, a tough stretch of games ahead could seriously determine Dallas' fate. They first host the Rockets before getting the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks got the most recent win over the Rockets as eight players got into double figures for the 111-100 win. When playing the Rockets at home, the Mavericks are averaging 109.4 points on 49.0 percent shooting.
The Rockets are not comfortable with their playoff position at the moment. Houston would like to maintain a top-three seed as they fight off the San Antonio Spurs. The other Texas team has already beaten Dallas which means the Rockets must do the same to keep pace. The return of Dwight Howard will help. The center has missed 26 games with a knee injury while returning for three and then sitting out two. James Harden has done his part to make up for the loss of the center. The MVP candidate is averaging 32.5 points in 10 games He has two 50-point games in the past month which helped get Houston the win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Houston has a tough stretch of their own coming up. The team begins a critical three-game road trip against Dallas before facing Oklahoma City and then the San Antonio Spurs. While they are already locked into the playoffs, getting a favorable seed could help with first round success.
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