Chandler Parsons, a second-year forward for the Rockets, missed a perfect shooting night by one bucket, leading Houston to a 136-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Parsons scored a career-high 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Parsons had knocked down his first 11 attempts before forcing up an ill-advised trey in the third quarter that wound up being his only misfire of the night. Had he knocked that shot down, he would have matched Yao Ming's franchise record for consecutive baskets made without a miss. After the game Parsons had this to say about his missed three--''I got a little carried away. I was feeling it, so I just shot it up there.'' When told he had an opportunity to match Yao's 12-of-12 mark Parsons said, "Now I really feel like an idiot."
The second-year, second-round pick surprised many around the league with a highly productive rookie season (9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals per game), and earned 28 minutes a night of floor time. This year, with a secure starting role, Parsons has improved on his rookie performance. He is averaging 15 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists on a Rockets team averaging a league-high 107 points a night.
The Rockets outscored the Mavericks 44-17 in the third quarter of a game that was very close in the other three periods. Parsons had help from Houston's high-scoring backcourt duo of James Harden and Jeremy Lin, who dropped 21 points apiece. Harden was 4-of-8 from 3-point land. Center Omer Asik posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Dirk Nowitzki struggled for Dallas, scoring just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. Nowitzki is averaging just 15.8 points per game, the lowest in 14 years for the future Hall of Fame forward. His .437 field goal percentage is the lowest he's had since his 1998-1999 rookie season.
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