Striving for 4 consecutive wins to advance to the top 6! Rockets vs. Mavericks 4 obvious advantages, Durant made it clear

There is another Southwest Conference showdown to be played in the NBA regular season. The Rockets are sitting at home waiting for the Mavericks to challenge. Just looking at the injury lists of the two teams in this game, you will know that most of the suspense is gone. In addition, the Rockets have just won three consecutive victories, and Durant has promised to continue the winning streak. No matter how you look at it, the Rockets, who are playing at home, have more fun.

Let's first talk about the injuries that most affect the direction of the game. The Mavericks are simply "full of injured soldiers" and there are not many core players left who can play. The official injury report just updated clearly stated that Anthony Davis will miss the game due to a strained left calf. This is the second consecutive game that he has been unable to play. Without such an offensive and defensive pillar inside, the Mavericks' penalty area is basically undefended. What's even worse is that Irving, the core point-control player, has not recovered from his left knee surgery and has no hope of playing. Center Lively has sprained his right knee and cannot play. There was already a shortage of people in the paint, and now there is no one available. And Exum, who also had to rest this game in order to manage the old injury in his right knee. Calculated this way, the Mavericks' main players are absent from all four lines, and they are simply playing with a broken team.

The Rockets' injury situation is much better, it is considered a minor injury. Apart from Van Jordan and Electric Fan, the only main player who is a bit suspense is Jabari Smith Jr. He has a slight ankle injury and is doubtful for the game, with a probability of about 50%. But even if he can't play, the Rockets' recent lineup rotation is enough. After all, they just defeated the Celtics and the team is in good shape. One less person is not a big problem. Compared with the Mavericks' injury wave, this impact is almost negligible.

Looking back at the performance of the two teams in the last game, it was really a world of ice and fire. The Rockets faced the Celtics in the last game. They thought the Celtics were a tough team, but the Rockets beat them 128-101, winning by a full 27 points. The biggest point difference was more than 30 points. In this game, the Rockets' three-pointers were as if they were hanging up, no matter how hard they shot, the Celtics were completely stunned. The core Durant played so easily, playing 29 minutes, 8 of 11 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, 8 of 9 free throws, 26 points and 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He clocked out in the third quarter. The team won by 21 points when he was on the court. When the Celtics wanted to chase points, he could always use shooting to stabilize the situation. Shen Jing also almost got a triple-double, with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. He played hard and clever inside. Amen Thompson also had a near-triple double with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. No wonder the team could win so easily.

The Mavericks had much worse luck in the last game. They faced the Pistons and lost by 2 points 110-112, narrowly losing to their opponent. In this game, the Mavericks originally lacked thick eyebrows. Although Gafford's return gave him a little boost, he still couldn't hold up the Pistons' good condition. The best performer on the team was Russell, who was fully fired up and scored 31 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, which was considered to be his best effort. Flagg, the top pick, was in better shape, with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but he still couldn't hold up the game. On the other hand, Duren scored 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons. Cunningham was even more ruthless, with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 18 assists. The Mavericks' defense could not stop the offense at all.

It can be seen from this comparison that the Rockets are now at their strongest momentum, and the Mavericks have just hit a wave of injuries. The Rockets' advantage in this game is simply too obvious. There are at least four aspects that can overwhelm the Mavericks.

The first advantage is that the offensive firepower is inferior. The Rockets currently rank first in the league in offensive efficiency and three-point shooting percentage. The scene of their last three-pointer against the Celtics is still vivid in my mind. Durant's scoring efficiency is frighteningly high, averaging 27.2 points in less than 16 shots per game, shooting 55.1% from the field and 41% from three-point range. This kind of efficiency is a headache for anyone to defend. Shen Jing has now also developed three-point skills, with a shooting percentage of over 50%. He can hit hard inside and shoot three-pointers from outside. No one in the Mavericks can match up inside. Even if Jabari Smith Jr. is not available, Okogie's three-pointers are still open, averaging 1.8 per game. There is no shooting weakness on the court. The Mavericks don't know who to focus on if they want to defend. On the other hand, the Mavericks have the fewest three-pointers in the league, and their field goal percentage is only 31.9%, ranking 28th in the league. Now they are missing two scoring points in Irving and Big Eyebrow. The only one they can rely on on the offensive end is Russell, who cannot compete with the Rockets.

The second advantage is the overwhelming strength inside. For the Mavericks, Lively is injured, as is his thick eyebrow. Even if Gafford can play, his ankle injury is not guaranteed to be in good condition, and the inside line is basically in a vacuum. The Rockets have Shen Jing, the core inside player, who can attack, pass and rebound. The performance of almost getting a triple-double in the last game is the best proof. In the first five games of the season, Shen Jing averaged 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game, with a true shooting percentage of 60.3%. At the age of 23 years and 100 days, Shin Kyung averaged at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the first five games of the season, making him the youngest player in history to do so. Durant can occasionally hit the inside. His height and skills are simply a dimensionality reduction blow against the Mavericks' substitute inside. In this way, the Rockets can take advantage whether they are positioning themselves in the paint or grabbing rebounds to promote fast breaks. It will be difficult for the Mavericks to defend the penalty area.

The third advantage is that the defensive system is more mature. Rockets head coach Uduka is best at defense, and the recently adjusted lineup has directly increased the defensive intensity in the backcourt. The backcourt composed of Amen Thompson and Okogie is in good physical condition and can defend and steal. In the last game, they relied on their defense to limit the Celtics' offense. Now the Mavericks can only rely on Russell and Flagg on the offensive end. Flagg is still adapting to the point guard position and makes many passing mistakes. The Rockets can just press and press in a targeted manner. Moreover, the Mavericks' defensive rotations are slow and it is easy to miss openings. The Rockets' three-pointers can just seize the opportunity, and the two ends of the offense and defense form a response. This game is much easier to play.

The fourth advantage is the gap between morale and status. The Rockets are now on a 3-game winning streak, playing better each game. From the 2-game losing streak at the beginning to now winning three games in a row, the team's morale is strong.. Durant made it clear after the game that he wanted to continue his winning streak. As a superstar, he will definitely do what he said, and he will definitely go all out to lead the team to win this game. The Mavericks started the season with 2 wins and 4 losses, ranking 14th in the Western Conference. Now they are facing a wave of injuries. They narrowly lost to the Pistons in their last game. The players' mentality will inevitably be affected. In addition, this is an away game. Facing the atmosphere of the Rockets' home court, it is too difficult for the Mavericks to withstand the pressure.

In fact, just looking at these conditions, the direction of this game is already very clear. The Mavericks are short of major generals and have big problems on both offense and defense; while the Rockets are strong, sharp in offense and solid in defense, and have key players like Durant to hold the line. However, there may be surprises in NBA games, such as Flagg suddenly bursting out, or Russell's hand feeling hot, but even if there are surprises, the Rockets' overall advantage is there, and it is difficult to lose.

Since Durant said he would continue his winning streak, in his current state, he will definitely fulfill his promise with practical actions. In the last game against the Celtics, he easily scored 26 points. This time against the remnant Mavericks, he might be able to score even higher. The combination of Shen Jing and Amen Thompson is also becoming more and more tacit. With their echoes in the interior and backcourt, coupled with the three-point firepower from the outside, the Rockets have a high probability of easily winning the game and extending their winning streak to four games. The Mavericks probably can only win with less losses. After all, injuries are too fatal. No matter how good Coach Kidd is, it's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.