HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets take a short trip up north on Tuesday to play against one of their instate rivals, the Dallas Mavericks. This will be the final West Group B round matchup of the In-Season Tournament. To say this game would be a much-needed win for Houston would be an understatement. Not only do the Rockets have a chance to advance to the knockout round, but also this would be their first road win of the season. At 0-5, winning games on the road has been tough for Ime Udoka's team. Its 8-6 record rides on the coattails of home cooking.

Mavericks overview

Mavs' Jason Kidd next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

Initially supposed to be a huge question mark heading into the 2023-2024 season, the Mavericks started the season off strong, with a 6-1 record in the first seven games. Since then, they've hovered around .500 and ride a 10-6 record with the 5th seed in the Western Conference into Tuesday's action.

Perennial MVP Luka Doncic and All-Star Kyrie Irving lead the way with a dynamic offense, climbing to both fourth in the league in offensive rating (118.0) and effective field goal percentage (55.9%), per NBA.com/stats. This translates into 119.9 points per game, which is sixth in the NBA. While Dallas scores in bunches, it's mostly off isolation plays. The Mavs rank 22nd in assists per game and 25th in assists per field goal percentage.

Dallas' schemes are mainly about how much can they outscore the opposing team. Defense isn't the Mavs' strong suit. They rank 25th or lower in allowing fast break points, points in the paint, rebounds and assists. They are also 29th in opponent assist-to-turnover ratio. The Rockets pass the ball around at a significantly higher rate, ranking 15th in assists per game while keeping themselves at a lower assist-to-turnover ratio (fourth).

Luka Doncic is at it again

From an offensive standpoint, Houston's top-ranked defensive rating will be put to the test. This is, if the Mavericks were at full strength. Doncic suffered a sprained left thumb in Dallas' previous matchup against the LA Clippers and is available Tuesday night, but his scoring load might be diminished.

The 24-year old Slovenian is having another MVP season, averaging 30.5 points with 7.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on 48.7% shooting and 39.4% from deep. Coach Jason Kidd has entrusted Doncic with a central role in the team's offense, as the entire system revolves around him. This is evident in Doncic's 34.4% usage rate, which is among the highest in the NBA.

For the Rockets to win, they need Dillon Brooks to be the primary defender on Doncic and to take advantage of the minutes when he sits on the bench. Like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic is capable of dominating the game with the shot and pass.

Time for Houston to take advantage

The Rockets have been full of surprises early in the 2023-24 NBA season

What better time could there be for Houston to steal a game on the road?

Given Doncic's potential limitations with a thumb injury, Kidd might need to look at other scoring options from his supporting cast in the event that Luka struggles. The only defense to worry about comes on the perimeter. Former Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is the Mavs' three-and-D specialist, averaging 10.4 points with extremely solid 44.4% from deep.

Also, watch out for Irving. He's having another stellar year in his 12th season, averaging 24.4 points on nearly 50/40/90 splits. At 31 years old, he is still one of the most unguardable players in the league. Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet, a solid perimeter defender, will definitely have his work cut out for him.

Dallas' interior defense is nonexistent, ranking 28th in the league in opponent's points in the paint, per NBA.com/stats. The team has been relying on 19-year old rookie Dereck Lively II to manage the bulk of rim-protection duties. While he's performed well in his first season, averaging 7.3 rebounds with 1.2 blocks per game, Lively often gets into foul trouble as most young centers do, averaging 3.5 fouls per game. He is also recovering from a lower back strain and questionable for Tuesday's game.

Dallas' interior was open for the taking due to Lively's absence in Saturday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. If he stays off the court, expect Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason and Jalen Green to take full advantage by attacking the paint.

The Rockets have made a statement to the rest of the NBA over the first month of the season. It's time to carry it forward by getting a road win against Dallas.