Monday, Nov. 5

Houston at Dallas -5 / 190  (8:30 p.m. EST)

The Rockets are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1996-97, but the streak ends tonight in Dallas. Tonight, the division rivals meet for the first time this season in Dallas, where the Mavericks are coming off one of the best shooting games in franchise history.

Dallas (2-1), which averaged 100 points per game last season and had the league's fifth-best shooting percentage at 46.7, rolled past Sacramento 123-102 on Saturday. The Mavs shot 65.2 percent - just shy of their best-ever mark of 67.7 set in 1983 - and connected on seven 3-pointers.

"We did a pretty good job of reading the defense once we got the ball in our hands," coach Avery Johnson said. "Our spacing was good in transition, guys were running hard and we had pretty good play out of all our guards tonight."

Josh Howard, who missed the first two games because of a suspension, scored 27 points while J.J. Barea scored a career-high 25 in place of the injured Devin Harris. Barea, in his second season, was 9-of-11 from the field and made all four 3-point attempts. He also had five assists.

Barea was limited late in the game due to leg cramps, but his second career start impressed teammate Dirk Nowitzki.

"Every time he comes in, he's like a fresh breeze of energy," said Nowitzki, who was 9-of-11 for 24 points.

Dallas bounced back from an ugly 101-94 loss to Atlanta the previous day. The Mavericks opened their season with an 18-point win over Cleveland on Wednesday.

Dallas was 3-1 against the Rockets last season, including two wins at home. The Mavs have won four straight and 11 of the last 14 meetings at the American Airlines Center.

Take Dallas minus the five in a double digit win over Houston at the AA Center...

Finn's NBA Record
3-2 

STARS Sunday

-Ray Allen made the winning 3-pointer with less than 3 seconds to play, and finished with 33 points in a 98-95 overtime victory over Toronto.

-Kobe Bryant, Lakers, hit on 13-of-19 shots and finished with 33 points in a 119-109 victory over Utah.

-Jason Richardson, Bobcats, scored 29 points and Charlotte beat Miami 90-88.

-Chris Paul, Hornets, had 15 points, 11 assists and eight boards, helping New Orleans over Denver 93-88.

-Steve Nash, Suns, scored 30 points and had 10 assists in a 103-92 win over Cleveland.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

T.J. Ford scored 32 points in Toronto's 98-95 overtime loss to Boston on Sunday. ... Deron Williams had 26 points in Utah's 119-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. ... Seattle rookie Kevin Durant scored 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field in a 115-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

FOR THE RECORD

Charlotte beat Miami 90-88 on Sunday and is two games over .500 - 2-0 - for the first time in its four-year history.

SLOW START

Seattle lost 115-101 to the Clippers on Sunday and is 0-3 for the first time since 1985-86.

HOME SWEET HOME

The New York Knicks won their home opener for the first time in six years by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-93 Sunday night.

SIDELINED

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix's All-Star center, missed the Suns' 103-92 win over Cleveland on Sunday because of soreness in his right knee. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee Oct. 2. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire was day to day.

SPEAKING

''Ricky made the right play. He just fired it 9,000 miles an hour.'' - Miami head coach Pat Riley on Ricky Davis' decision making in the closing seconds of a 90-88 loss to Charlotte on Sunday. Miami called time-out with 10 seconds left, but Davis threw a wayward pass to Shaquille O'Neal for a turnover with 2.2 seconds remaining.