Speedy meets lightning

Roddy Beaubois will make the start again tonight at shooting guard and he'll get a rare test as he sees Houston's Aaron Brooks, who is in the same league as the Mavericks' rookie with his speed and quickness. Asked before the game if Beaubois will match up with Brooks, coach Rick Carlisle said: "Possibly. We'll look at where we're at in the game and if there's a chance to get him in there to play some minutes, we'll do that. He's shown some stretches of solid play. And of course he's had others where it's a learning situation.'' The Mavericks also are starting Quinton Ross, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. The Rockets' starters: Shane Battier, Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Trevor Ariza and Brooks. If you're following along on TV and not paying attention to this blog, pay special notice to how Beaubois handles the challenge of Brooks. --Eddie Sefko