HOUSTON -- Before panic could set in following an awful defensive performance than many predicted would be common given their roster construction, the Houston Rockets delivered on Friday night a performance that produced a measure of redemption.In their 106-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, the Rockets (1-1) avoided the repeated gouging of their defense that marred their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers two nights earlier.The teams will play again on Sunday night in Houston.The Rockets struggled to contain Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes, who poured in a career-high 31 points, and occasionally labored to limit dribble penetration and supply weakside help.But in the third quarter they allowed only 17 points and seized control of the game.We got stops, Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said. We did a good job starting the third quarter. We wanted to have a lot of energy and make this game ours, have them play our tempo. We did a great job of that.(Barnes) is a talented scorer and they have a good player in him. But Im glad that we did a good enough job of stopping everybody else and got the win.It certainly helped the Rockets cause that Dallas (0-2) played without perennial All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was sidelined by an illness but is expected to return when the teams square off again on Sunday night at Toyota Center.Also serving the Rockets well was the second-half commitment to a hastened pace, with the shift in tempo providing the offensive spark needed to complement the defense.With the Rockets clinging to a 67-65 lead, guard James Harden drilled three consecutive 3-pointers to push the advantage to 10 points and set a comfortable cushion for the remainder of the game.Pace will serve as a hallmark for the Rockets this season. Their constant adherence to it is a necessary aspect for their success.Harden finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Rockets forward Trevor Ariza scored a team-high 27 points on 5-for-7 3-point shooting.One of the problems early in this game is we didnt have pace to our offense, Rockets coach Mike DAntoni said. And once James picked up the pace for himself and the team, he got off and that helped us a lot.While the sample size of two games shouldnt merit too much concern, Dallas must be mindful of its exposed perimeter defense.The Indiana Pacers torched the Mavericks behind the arc in the opener for both teams earlier this week, hitting on 10 of 19 3-point shots. The Rockets followed suit with 15-of-32 shooting from behind the arc.Having allowed two opponents to make 25 of 51 3-pointers grabbed the Mavericks attention and set in motion a specific focus for the rematch.Weve just got to do a better job with communication, Barnes said to Mavs.com. You know, we either got too sucked into the paint or guys were over helping. And with a team like this, they shoot a lot of threes.If you let one guy get going, then you start reacting to him and theyre getting wide-open dunks. So, well have to look at some tape before Sunday. Adidas NHL Jerseys From China . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Adidas NHL Jerseys Autographed . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. http://www.cheapnhljerseyssigned.com/ . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. 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South Carolina will host Alabama State while FGCU will visit Florida, South Alabama travels to Auburn and Memphis goes to Arkansas. Missouri will travel down I-70 to play Kansas while Texas A&M visits TCU.Arkansas is competing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years. Arkansas 17 wins overall are the most in the programs 30-year history.Auburn earned its 14th NCAA Tournament bid and its second consecutive national seed (No. 4). The Tigers posted a 9-2-0 record in SEC play this season, winning nine league games for just the second time ever (2004).Florida claimed the SECs automatic berth after winning the SEC Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Gators are a No. 1 national seed and are making their 200th overall NCAA Championships appearance and 14th consecutive.dddddddddddd Senior forward Savannah Jordan scored her 80th career goal in the SEC Tournament championship game, becoming just the seventh player in the nation to reach the 80 career goal mark since 2000.Missouri is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five seasons. Freshman forward Sarah Luebbert became only the second Tiger to ever earn conference freshman or newcomer of the year honors when she was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by the leagues head coaches.South Carolina is making its ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 10 years. The Gamecocks, who won the SEC regular season championship with an 11-0-0 record, earned the programs first No. 1 NCAA seed. 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