Mavericks-Rockets Preview

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Houston Rockets (19-13) at Dallas Mavericks (22-9)

It is only fitting that the Dallas Mavericks finish off 2009 on the road.

With an 11-4 road record, the Mavericks have relished taking down opposing teams in the most hostile arenas. Heading into Houston on the last day of the year, Dallas will try to continue their hot play on the road against a team they will have seen for a fifth time since the preseason, the Southwest Division rival Rockets. All the more reason to celebrate the closing of '09 with a win, sixth man Jason Terry said, as the Mavs begin a three-game road trip also looking to run their overall winning streak to three.

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

"(The key to the success on the road has been) just coming in with that mentality of us against the world," Terry said. "For me, there's no greater joy than when you hear the entire opposing crowd going nuts and then you hit a shot to silence them...I live for that moment."

Terry and his team's killer instinct is even stronger when Dallas sniffs the scent of the Rockets, having seen Houston plenty for their liking. With a great familiarity with what the Rockets bring to the table, the Mavs know exactly what they are up against on Thursday night.

"No question, I mean, this is a team we've played already four times this year. They play hard, and if you don't come in ready to outwork them, then you're in for a long night," Terry said.

The Mavs lead the season series with the Rockets 2-1, but Dallas will be seeking retribution for the one loss in that equation, a 116-108 overtime loss to Houston at home on Dec. 18.

Needless to say, that loss is still on Dallas' mind.

"We definitely owe them one," center Erick Dampier said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to play (at home) in the last game...We're just going to go down their, play hard and try to win us one game."

But the division-leading Mavericks know that if they are to come out with a victory in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams in the regular season, they must first improve on their first half play. Dallas will try to put a stop to the trend of falling behind by double-digit deficits in the first 24 minutes of play, as they have in all three games thus far.

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

"You could say we've gotten off to a slow start every time we've played this team, but (Thursday night) we're just going to come out and try to play hard from the beginning of the game and make it an interesting game," Dampier said.

"Execution and making sure that we're ready to play from the beginning of games, that's going to be key," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Most of the games (between the two teams) are going to come down to who's playing harder, who's playing more efficiently and who's putting the ball in the basket."

Though Carlisle's team has had several scorers putting the ball in the basket with regularity of late, Dallas' calling card is still defense. The coach admits that the rugged Rockets' offense possess yet another great challenge to that Dallas defense.

"They're very good and they play their style very effectively. So, we're going to have to slow them down in transition, try to limit their threes and they've got some guys that do a great job in the post. There are a lot of challenges," Carlisle said.

Dallas plays its final game of 2009, heading into Houston on New Year's Eve. The Mavericks-Rockets matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 6:00 p.m. CT. It is the second game of four straight on the road for the Mavericks.

The team returns to the American Airlines Center on Jan. 5 to host the Detroit Pistons. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.