![Carlisle[1]](https://bettingsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Carlisle1-1000x600.jpg)
Can Mavericks overcome all their problems against Rockets in Game 3?
The Dallas Mavericks are a mess. The whole Rajon Rondo thing is a bizarre disaster, with Rondo getting benched during an awful 10-minute Game 2 stint before the team ruled him out indefinitely with a back injury he suffered during Game 2. Only, there are plenty who have questioned the validity of the back injury since Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle never mentioned it in postgame after Game 2, Rondo didn’t get treatment after the game and Carlisle then told reporters on Wednesday that he didn’t think Rondo would play another game in a Mavericks uniform.
And just look at this:
Tyson Chandler was "a little surprised" by news of Rajon Rondo's back injury. Any indication he was hurting? (Smile.) "It is what it is."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 23, 2015
— Jared Thigpen (@jared_thigpen) April 24, 2015
Sure seems like Rondo’s teammates are pretty skeptical of the injury as well. As mentioned, the trade has been an utter disaster. The Mavericks were hoping the point guard would be the missing piece for a championship run, but instead, he has hurt the team more than helped. Dallas had one of the best offenses in the league at the start of the year, but when Rondo came aboard, his inability to shoot hurt the team’s spacing and the offense suffered. In his limited minutes in the first two playoff games of the series against the Rockets, Rondo was bad and the Mavericks were a train wreck with him on the floor. Now, he’s done for the series and done in Dallas.
In addition to the Rondo mess, Chandler Parsons is done for the season with a nagging right knee injury that’ll require surgery. The injury was bugging Parsons for the last month of the season and he missed the last six games of the regular season before returning for Game 1. He played 37 minutes in Game 1, but he aggravated the injury and is now toast. Bad news for Dallas.
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports
Without Rondo and Parsons, Â the Mavericks will turn to Devin Harris (returning from a toe injury), J.J. Barea, Raymond Felton, Richard Jefferson and Al-Farouq Aminu. That shouldn’t exactly strike fear in Houston, and Dallas will have its work cut out for them moving forward. The first attempt to try and get back into the series will come on Friday night in Dallas when the Mavericks and Rockets get together for Game 3.
While Dallas is behind the eight-ball, Vegas still believes they can compete. The main Vegas sportsbooks seem to be split on who should be the favorite in this game. Bovada has the Rockets as a 1.5-point favorite, while BetOnline has the Mavericks as a one-point favorite. There’s a split between other sportsbooks as well.
Houston sure has looked strong in the first two games, and that’s with James Harden not even at his best. Dwight Howard, when not in foul trouble, has been a monster, and Josh Smith played one of his best games this season in Game 2. The Howard-Smith pick-and-roll duo was unstoppable in Game 2, and the Mavericks will have to figure out how to stop that. It could be tough with Dirk Nowitzki really struggling on defense, but Carlisle will try and make adjustments to see if he can get his squad back in the series.
