O.J. Mayo out-duels James Harden as Mavs beat Rockets

This was one of the more fun contests from a 10-game Saturday night slate. We had a superstar from each team putting in a dominant performance, and we had wild swings in the control of the game, with each team gaining a double-digit advantage at various points throughout.

Ultimately, the Mavericks found a way to prevail. Behind 40 points from O.J. Mayo, Dallas came from 11 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Rockets 116-109 in Houston.

Mayo out-dueled James Harden, who poured in 30 first-half points for his Rockets to help them overcome an early 19-point deficit to lead by three at the break. The 66-63 halftime score was no surprise to anyone who pays attention to even the most basic advanced statistical numbers, as Houston leads the league in pace, while Dallas is third in that same category.

Mayo had 22 by halftime, while Chris Kaman, who was questionable to even play in this one after suffering an ankle sprain in his team’s last outing in Phoenix, scored 14 on 6-of-7 shooting.

While Harden cooled off considerably after the break, and finished with just nine points the rest of the way on 2-of-7 shooting, Mayo kept rolling. He had 12 of his team’s final 14 points, and converted big-time, clutch opportunities down the stretch to help his team seal it.

This is likely a tougher loss than usual for the Rockets, considering the big leads they had in this game which were ultimately squandered. Also, it was head coach Kevin McHale’s first game back coaching the team since the tragic passing of his daughter just a couple of weeks ago.

Getting back to Dallas, Mayo is becoming quite the story for the Mavericks this season. His scoring ability is being showcased with Dirk Nowitzki out of the lineup, and he’s thriving in that role, posting numbers that have him in the league’s top 10 in scoring average per game. And from three-point distance, Mayo has been even more impressive — he’s second in the league in makes from beyond the arc, as well as percentage.

Rick Carlisle is doing a great job of getting the most of his available talent in Dallas this season. Shawn Marion missed this game with a groin strain, so Carlisle trotted out yet another different starting lineup, one that featured Kaman and Mayo, along with Brandan Wright, Dahntay Jones, and Derek Fisher.

Carlisle is definitely pushing all the right buttons at this point, but it certainly helps when no matter who he throws out there, he can count on Mayo to do everything necessary offensively to secure his team’s victory.