Rockets try to start new streak vs. Mavericks

The 17-game winning streak is over for the Houston Rockets and after it ended, one of their stars acknowledged they needed to be better.

Two nights after being unable to keep the winning streak going, the Rockets get a chance to rebound when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

The Rockets (51-14) are coming off their first loss since Jan. 26. They were unable to keep the streak going when they were handed a 108-105 loss at Toronto on Friday.

James Harden scored 40 points as the Rockets erased a 19-point deficit but ultimately a rough 3-point shooting performance was Houston's undoing. Houston was 9 for 27, marking the third time all season it did not make at least 10 3-pointers.

Harden hit 4 of 8 3-pointers but the rest of the team was 5 of 19 from 3-point range. Eric Gordon hit 3 of 7 but Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza each went 0 of 3 from long range.

"We all have to be better," Harden told reporters. "It's not Chris. It's not me. It's the entire team together."

"Early, we didn't make our open 3s," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "We didn't have a whole lot of them, but we didn't make them."

Still despite finishing five wins shy of the team record set from Jan. 29-March 16, 2008, the Rockets are hardly feeling negative about things. And they have little reason for it as they enter Sunday with the league's best record.

"I don't even feel like we lost," Harden told reporters. "Same swagger. Nothing changed. It's one game."

Harden's comments have some validity as Houston is 24-3 in its last 27 games after losing seven of nine from Dec. 20-Jan. 6. The Rockets are also 13-3 in their last 16 road games and Friday snapped a 10-game road winning streak.

Houston's road success has upped their total to 26 wins away from home and it is one shy of the team record set during the 1996-97 season.

Harden leads the league with 10 games of at least 40 points and is shooting 52.5 percent in his last seven contests heading into the finale of a four-game road trip.

Dallas (21-45) is attempting to notch three straight wins for the second time this season. The Mavericks won four straight from Dec. 26-31 and are 8-20 since that streak.

The Mavericks followed up a 118-107 home victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday with a 114-80 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Dallas won by shooting 48.1 percent and getting 25 points from Harrison Barnes, and 20 apiece from J.J. Barea and Doug McDermott.

Barnes has topped 20 points in four of his last six games while Barea halted a three-game slump that saw him shoot 9 of 30. McDermott has reached double figures in six of his last eight games and scored 20 points for the third time this season.

"We have (16) games left, so you've just got to finish strong, regardless of who's out on the floor," McDermott told the team's official website. "Some of us could be a part of the future, some may not be, but we all get to play basketball -- the game we love -- and it's going to be fun."

Dirk Nowitzki, who is averaging 15 points this month, was held to two points and is looking to rebound from missing 8 of 9 shots.

The Mavericks played without rookie Dennis Smith Jr. Smith was held out because of soreness in his left knee, which is the one he tore the ACL in three years ago.

Smith played 34 straight games before sitting out Saturday, but coach Rick Carlisle said he did not think it was a serious injury and is hopeful the guard can return Sunday.

The Rockets have won seven straight from Dallas and it is their third-longest streak in the series. Houston also has won 13 of the last 16 after Dallas won 12 of the previous 14.

Harden scored 29 in a 107-91 home victory Oct. 21. Houston won the next two games by identical 104-97 scores when Harden totaled 52 points.