Rajon Rondo Out for Game 3 vs. Rockets Due to "Back Injury" [UPDATE: Chandler Parsons Out, Too]

Rajon Rondo suffered a “back injury” in Game 2 against the Rockets, and that’s why he only played 10 minutes in the Mavs’ 111-99 loss. Rondo picked up three fouls in the game (plus a technical), and essentially spent the final three quarters on the bench.

He had a bizarre 8-second violation in the backcourt, and after a bad foul on Harden, bumped him, earning a technical foul. The consensus seemed to be that Dallas coach Rick Carlisle had it with Rondo’s pouty act, and pinned him to the bench.

Carlisle actually played Raymond Felton (18 minutes, nine points) and JJ Barea (34 minutes, 13 points) and both performed reasonably well. Can Barea pester James Harden enough – Harden has shot poorly in the series, and was only 5-of-17 Tuesday – so Dallas steals a game and gets back in the series?

[UPDATE: Chandler Parsons is done for the season. He might need surgery on his knee.]

As for Rondo … as Woj wrote in his column today, it’s looking like Rondo is Lakers-bound. That Rondo/Kobe backcourt is going to … eat the Lakers alive in practice.