Wesley Matthews: Needs 25 shots to get 25 points

With Dirk Nowitzki (illness) missing a second straight game and Harrison Barnes struggling to a 3-for-11 shooting mark on the evening, the Mavericks ran their offense through Matthews, who attempted 14 more shots than any other player on his team. While that translated to a season-high scoring output for the swingman, it came about as inefficiently as possible. Matthews also racked up six fouls on the night, with his last infraction with 0.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter enabling the Rockets’ James Harden to hit the game-winning free throw. It’s clear Matthews is valued by the Mavericks, but his 29.1 percent mark from the field and 18.2 percent mark from three-point range has limited the impact of his otherwise solid averages of 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 treys in 39.3 minutes per game.