Houston is a young team on the come-up. After just missing the play-in last year, and being a league bottom-feeder for the number of years preceding that, they are starting to look like they may just have a foundation upon which they can build a future of sustained success.

Dallas… well. Two ships passing in the night, innit?

Are you Ryan Reynolds? Because you better DRIVE

Dallas has won a single game in their last five attempts. It required scoring 133 points, beating San Antonio’s 129 by just four points. Interestingly, Dallas didn’t pile up all those points by shooting the ball particularly well, hitting under 32% from deep.

Instead, they went to the line for 30 free throws and hit 27 of them. 90%! Pretty good! It’s called fundamentals, people. This team can’t count on, like, being good to win games. They’re going to have to tilt the floor somewhere, and getting to the line is something they can actually effect and seem to excel at.

Scouting is key

Houston is a very young team. The kind of young team who would be happy to get over the hump and win an opening round of the playoffs, but don’t have true title aspirations this season. No, to do that, they would really need to add a difference maker to their team. Someone like, I don’t know, let’s say Anthony Davis, in the offseason.

Houston is one of the teams with the most tradable picks and youth in the league. If you’re a Dallas fan, use this game as an opportunity to get attached to some guys you’d love to see on this team if the front office has the wherewithal to pull their head out of their asses and do something productive this offseason.

Career night

Alperen Sengun is Houston’s emergent big man who’s scoring nearly 20 points and grabbing 10 boards a game. Dallas is a team physically incapable of putting someone bigger than 6’6” on the floor for any extended period of time.

Sengun career high in points is 45, set last season against San Antonio. His best number on the boards is 21. Both of those are numbers to watch as the Mavs take turns rotating one of their eight healthy guards and wings onto him throughout the game. Patrick Dumont was recently promoted to Chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands – no question a well-deserved bump for the man who knows a thing or two about generating future value. It goes without saying, this is a guy who has the capacity to be running two organizations simultaneously. It takes a special talent to balance those two jobs, but if anyone can do it, no question someone with Patrick Dumont’s demonstrated history of excellence is one of those great men.

How to watch

You can broadcast or stream the game on NBAtv, Channel 29, or MavsTV at 5:00