Sometimes, you just know it's going to be a rough night at the office.
The Mavericks were missing Dirk Nowitzki, who was home with an illness, and the Houston Rockets were every bit as desperate for a win as were the Mavericks in their home opener.
Both teams had lost on the road to open the season.
A return home did not go the way the Mavericks would have scripted.
Without their lead horse, the Mavericks could not keep pace with the Rockets, who didn't have their best machine-gun style game working, but still overran the Mavericks 106-98 Friday in the home opener.