Player grades from the Rockets’ OT thriller win over the Dallas Mavericks

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Houston Rockets Ben McLemore (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

B-. Ben McLemore continued his stellar shooting touch, as he went 4-for-4 from deep, scoring 13 points. McLemore’s first triple gave the Rockets a 48-45 lead in the second quarter, which was the last time the Rockets held the lead until overtime. McLemore’s two treys in the fourth quarter helped the Rockets’ hopes of a comeback. McLemore was incredibly efficient, as he also had a true shooting percentage of 133 percent, and the Rockets averaged 246 points per 100 possessions with McLemore on the court, which is the epitome of video game numbers. But McLemore struggled heavily on the defensive end, as the Mavs kept going right at him, which got him in foul trouble, as he fouled out early in the fourth. The Rockets allowed 132 points per 100 possessions with McLemore on the court, which was the worst defensive rating on the team.. Guard. Houston Rockets. BEN MCLEMORE

B. Jeff Green got off to a great start on Friday, as he went 3-for-5 in the opening quarter, scoring seven of his 10 points. Green was utilized heavily in the pick-and-roll, as James Harden dished the pocket pass to him on numerous occasions, especially in the first quarter. Green drew an and-one in this scenario, and had a sweet behind-the-back move on Maxi Kleber in the opening period, which led to an easy two points. Green went 1-of-4 in the final three quarters of action and made 25 percent of his 3-point attempts, while also being tacked with five fouls. Green had the third-highest usage rate on the Rockets, as he was up to 20.1 percent in just 19 minutes of action.. Forward. Houston Rockets. JEFF GREEN

AUSTIN RIVERS. B. Austin Rivers was destined to receive an uptick in minutes, with the injury to Eric Gordon. Rivers made the most of his 19 minutes, as he had 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists, off the second unit. Rivers went 4-of-8 from the field, and scored five points in the third quarter, as he went 2-for-2 from the field and made his lone 3-point attempt in the quarter. Rivers struggled from deep, as he went 1-of-4, but played good defense against the Mavs.. Guard. Houston Rockets

The Rockets made 39.6 percent of their 3-pointers, which was needed to counter the Mavs’ hot shooting. The Rockets were also outrebounded 55-43, which is to be expected with the small ball lineup the Rockets employ.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 80 points, 20 rebounds, and 16 assists, as they proved to be too much for the Mavericks to handle. The Rockets’ bench scored 33 points, which was a significant contribution, but the Mavs’ bench generated 49 points.

The victory moved the Rockets to fifth place in the Western Conference standings, and should give Houston Rockets fans confidence that the team will be okay without Eric Gordon, who is expected to miss up to two weeks.

Next. Lou Williams shows double-standard against Harden

Next up for the Houston Rockets, a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, who the Rockets haven’t played since opening night, which was a game that went in Milwaukee’s favor, as they won 117-111.

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