DALLAS (AFP) - The Dallas Mavericks stayed alive in the NBA play-offs on Sunday with a 121-109 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Down 3-0 in their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series, the Mavs opted to give J.J. Barea and Al-Farouq Aminu their first starts of the post-season and both produced double-doubles.
The Mavs, who will try again to avoid elimination when they visit Houston for game five on Tuesday, still face a tough task.
No team have rallied from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven NBA play-off series.
Elsewhere in the West, the Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from the worst post-season game in club history, defeating reigning NBA champions San Antonio 114-105 to knot their best-of-seven first-round series at two games apiece.
Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak in the series and will try to edge ahead when they host game five on Tuesday.