135 — 117
VanVleet lit the match early
Houston’s tone was set before Dallas could settle in. VanVleet opened the scoring with a step-back three, added a running jumper, then buried a 32-foot pullup to make it 9-0 in the first 2:42. By the time Jabari Smith Jr. finished inside at 7:42 of the first quarter, the Rockets were already up 15-5 and forcing Dallas to chase the game from the start.
Dallas did respond in pockets. Daniel Gafford helped trim the margin with a layup and a three, and Morez Johnson Jr.’s late triple brought the Mavericks within 27-19 after one. The sharper warning for Houston came early in the second quarter, when Cooper Flagg scored back-to-back baskets to cut it to 27-23. That was as close as Dallas got the rest of the night.
From there, Houston delivered the game’s defining stretch. Amen Thompson scored twice, Sengun followed a free throw with a layup, Reed Sheppard and Smith hit from deep, and Sengun capped the burst with a dunk for a 42-26 lead. Later in the quarter, Houston pushed the gap to 55-33, and even after Dallas found a brief scoring run, Tari Eason drilled a three with 0.1 seconds left to send the Rockets into halftime up 65-45.
Sengun connected everything, and Houston’s depth finished it
The numbers behind Houston’s offence were emphatic: 47-for-86 from the field, 18-for-36 from three and 36 assists on those 47 made baskets. Sengun was at the centre of nearly every good sequence, posting 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 22 minutes. VanVleet added 17 points and seven assists, Eason scored 20 with nine rebounds, Kevin Durant chipped in 15, and Houston still had Sheppard’s 16 and Bruce Thornton’s 13 coming from deeper in the rotation.
Dallas made a genuine push after halftime, but Houston answered each time. The Mavericks opened the third quarter by cutting the deficit to 65-50, then later moved within 69-56 and 76-64. Every climb met another Rockets reply. Durant hit from mid-range and from three, VanVleet knocked down a pair from distance, and Sengun kept finding scorers in rhythm. When Sheppard hit back-to-back threes and Isaiah Crawford added another, Houston had stretched the margin to 97-76 before the third ended at 99-80.
Any remaining doubt disappeared quickly in the fourth. Eason opened the quarter with a fadeaway, then hit a three and converted three free throws to move Houston from 99 points to 109 while Dallas sat on 83. Sheppard’s layup made it 111-83, and the Rockets eventually led by as many as 28. Even with Dallas winning the fourth quarter 37-36, Houston had done its serious work much earlier.
Dallas found offence late, but the hole was too deep
There were useful stretches for Dallas once the score had already tilted hard the other way. After scoring only 45 points in the first half, the Mavericks put up 72 after intermission. Flagg led them with 19 points, Naji Marshall added 16, Max Christie had 14, Tobi Lawal scored 13, and Sergio de Larrea finished with 11 points and six assists. Dwight Powell’s eight assists also stood out in limited minutes, a sign that Dallas did create some organized offence despite the result.
Still, the early deficit framed everything. Dallas never held a lead, and Houston’s ball movement repeatedly turned possessions into clean finishes. The Mavericks did make 18 threes of their own, but it took 51 attempts to get there, while Houston hit the same number on just 36 tries. Dallas also left points behind at the line, shooting 11-for-17 on free throws, and could not offset Houston’s 54.7 per cent shooting overall.
Our take
Houston’s attack looked the way an efficient offence is supposed to look on paper: quick decisions, accurate shooting and multiple creators feeding one another. Sengun’s triple-double was the clearest example, but the broader point was balance. Seven Rockets reached double figures, and Houston scored 54 points in the paint without sacrificing its three-point volume. That kind of spread is hard to defend when the passing is this sharp.
The one blemish for Houston was carelessness with the ball. The Rockets committed 21 turnovers, and Dallas turned those into 29 points. On a night when Houston otherwise controlled the game, that was the area most in need of cleaning up. For Dallas, the path forward is easier to identify than the final score suggests: the Mavericks shared the ball well enough to collect 34 assists, but allowing 36 assists, surrendering 65 first-half points and matching Houston’s 18 made threes only by taking 15 more attempts left them with almost no margin for error.
Scoring moments
- 1st Quarter · 10:07
Fred VanVleet makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:39
Fred VanVleet makes 24-foot running jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 1st Quarter · 9:18
Fred VanVleet makes 32-foot running pullup jump shot
- 1st Quarter · 9:05
Max Christie makes 27-foot three point jumper (Naji Marshall assists)
- 1st Quarter · 8:35
Amen Thompson makes 1-foot dunk (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 1st Quarter · 8:24
Cooper Flagg makes 1-foot driving dunk
- 1st Quarter · 8:07
Alperen Sengun makes 2-foot layup (Kevin Durant assists)
- 1st Quarter · 7:42
Jabari Smith Jr. makes 3-foot two point shot (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:52
Sergio de Larrea makes 23-foot running jump shot (Max Christie assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:38
Kevin Durant makes 8-foot two point shot (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:11
Kevin Durant makes 7-foot two point shot (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 1st Quarter · 5:04
Daniel Gafford makes layup (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 1st Quarter · 4:43
Jabari Smith Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 4:43
Jabari Smith Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 4:03
Daniel Gafford makes running layup (Cooper Flagg assists)
- 1st Quarter · 3:30
Daniel Gafford makes 25-foot three point jumper (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:41
Amen Thompson makes 8-foot driving floating jump shot (Tari Eason assists)
- 1st Quarter · 2:18
Tari Eason makes free throw 1 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 2:18
Tari Eason makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 1:50
Morez Johnson Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2
- 1st Quarter · 45.3
Steven Adams makes 8-foot floating jump shot (Tari Eason assists)
- 1st Quarter · 13.5
Morez Johnson Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11:45
Cooper Flagg makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Morez Johnson Jr. assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11:26
Cooper Flagg makes 1-foot dunk (Naji Marshall assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 11:00
Amen Thompson makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 9:52
Amen Thompson makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 9:17
Alperen Sengun makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 9:14
Alperen Sengun makes layup
- 2nd Quarter · 9:01
Cooper Flagg makes 26-foot three point jumper (Dwight Powell assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 8:21
Reed Sheppard makes 26-foot three point jumper (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:48
Jabari Smith Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:27
Alperen Sengun makes 6-foot running dunk (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 7:04
Kevin Durant makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:53
Cooper Flagg makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Dwight Powell assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 6:27
Cooper Flagg makes 13-foot pullup jump shot (Tarik Biberovic assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 5:59
Jabari Smith Jr. makes 24-foot three point jumper (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 5:32
Jabari Smith Jr. makes tip in dunk
- 2nd Quarter · 5:23
Max Christie makes 26-foot three point jumper (Cooper Flagg assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 4:59
Kevin Durant makes 14-foot jumper (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 4:27
Alperen Sengun makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 4:27
Alperen Sengun makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 3:51
Alperen Sengun makes driving layup (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 3:30
Tari Eason makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 2:36
Bogdan Bogdanovic makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot (Kevin Durant assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 2:18
Cooper Flagg makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 2:18
Cooper Flagg makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 1:57
Naji Marshall makes two point shot (Zaccharie Risacher assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 1:40
Cooper Flagg makes tip shot
- 2nd Quarter · 1:17
Naji Marshall makes 2-foot layup (Cooper Flagg assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 1:02
Tari Eason makes driving layup
- 2nd Quarter · 47.5
Cooper Flagg makes free throw 1 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 47.5
Cooper Flagg makes free throw 2 of 2
- 2nd Quarter · 28.8
Tari Eason makes 10-foot driving floating jump shot (Amen Thompson assists)
- 2nd Quarter · 3.7
Zaccharie Risacher makes two point shot
- 2nd Quarter · 0.1
Tari Eason makes 25-foot three pointer
- 3rd Quarter · 11:41
Naji Marshall makes 12-foot fade away jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 11:15
Max Christie makes 24-foot three point jumper (Dwight Powell assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 10:48
Fred VanVleet makes free throw 1 of 3
- 3rd Quarter · 10:48
Fred VanVleet makes free throw 2 of 3
- 3rd Quarter · 10:24
Naji Marshall makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 10:11
Alperen Sengun makes driving layup (Amen Thompson assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 9:40
Tarik Biberovic makes 24-foot three pointer (Dwight Powell assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 9:12
Naji Marshall makes 10-foot pullup jump shot (Max Christie assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:30
Alperen Sengun makes 2-foot two point shot (Fred VanVleet assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 8:30
Alperen Sengun makes free throw 1 of 1
- 3rd Quarter · 8:13
Zaccharie Risacher makes 25-foot three pointer (Dwight Powell assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:54
Max Christie makes 1-foot running dunk (Naji Marshall assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:41
Kevin Durant makes 11-foot pullup jump shot
- 3rd Quarter · 7:23
Tarik Biberovic makes 24-foot three pointer (Dwight Powell assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 7:06
Kevin Durant makes 12-foot pullup jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:27
Fred VanVleet makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jabari Smith Jr. assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 6:18
Naji Marshall makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 6:08
Kevin Durant makes 25-foot three point jumper (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:47
Max Christie makes 26-foot three point jumper
- 3rd Quarter · 5:28
Fred VanVleet makes 24-foot three pointer (Alperen Sengun assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 5:08
Zaccharie Risacher makes driving layup
- 3rd Quarter · 4:25
Reed Sheppard makes 23-foot three point jumper (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 4:00
Zaccharie Risacher makes 2-foot two point shot (Moussa Cisse assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 3:34
Sergio de Larrea makes 24-foot three point jumper (John Poulakidas assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 3:20
Reed Sheppard makes 26-foot three pointer (Steven Adams assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 2:44
Reed Sheppard makes 27-foot running pullup jump shot (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 1:55
Isaiah Crawford makes 26-foot three point jumper (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 1:01
Tobi Lawal makes free throw 1 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 1:01
Tobi Lawal makes free throw 2 of 2
- 3rd Quarter · 34.9
Tari Eason makes running dunk (Reed Sheppard assists)
- 3rd Quarter · 19.3
Naji Marshall makes 12-foot driving floating jump shot (Dwight Powell assists)
- 4th Quarter · 11:36
Tari Eason makes 9-foot fade away jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 11:21
Naji Marshall makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jett Howard assists)
- 4th Quarter · 10:55
Bogdan Bogdanovic makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 10:55
Bogdan Bogdanovic makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 10:17
Tari Eason makes 23-foot three point jumper (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists)
- 4th Quarter · 9:57
Tari Eason makes free throw 1 of 3
- 4th Quarter · 9:57
Tari Eason makes free throw 2 of 3
- 4th Quarter · 9:57
Tari Eason makes free throw 3 of 3
- 4th Quarter · 8:45
Reed Sheppard makes driving layup
- 4th Quarter · 8:32
John Poulakidas makes 26-foot three point jumper (Jett Howard assists)
- 4th Quarter · 8:23
Isaiah Crawford makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 8:06
Tobi Lawal makes 1-foot layup (Dwight Powell assists)
- 4th Quarter · 7:47
Tobi Lawal makes 1-foot running dunk (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 7:16
Dwight Powell makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 6:57
Reed Sheppard makes two point shot (Bruce Thornton assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:39
Seth Lundy makes 22-foot three point jumper (Tarik Biberovic assists)
- 4th Quarter · 6:16
Oscar Tshiebwe makes 2-foot layup (Bruce Thornton assists)
- 4th Quarter · 5:54
Tobi Lawal makes 1-foot two point shot
- 4th Quarter · 5:54
Tobi Lawal makes free throw 1 of 1
- 4th Quarter · 5:40
Bruce Thornton makes 25-foot three point jumper (Quadir Copeland assists)
- 4th Quarter · 4:52
Quadir Copeland makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:52
Quadir Copeland makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 4:20
Tarik Biberovic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Moussa Cisse assists)
- 4th Quarter · 3:59
Oscar Tshiebwe makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 3:52
Jett Howard makes running layup (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 3:44
Bruce Thornton makes free throw 1 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 3:44
Bruce Thornton makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 2:52
Sergio de Larrea makes 24-foot three point jumper (John Poulakidas assists)
- 4th Quarter · 2:36
Oscar Tshiebwe makes 3-foot layup (Sean Pedulla assists)
- 4th Quarter · 2:19
Bruce Thornton makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot
- 4th Quarter · 2:00
Jett Howard makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 1:50
Bruce Thornton makes 1-foot layup (Oscar Tshiebwe assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:39
Quadir Copeland makes free throw 2 of 2
- 4th Quarter · 1:34
Tobi Lawal makes 2-foot dunk (Jett Howard assists)
- 4th Quarter · 1:09
Tobi Lawal makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 56.0
Jett Howard makes 23-foot running jump shot (Sergio de Larrea assists)
- 4th Quarter · 45.2
Jett Howard makes running layup
- 4th Quarter · 34.9
Bruce Thornton makes 23-foot three point jumper (Sean Pedulla assists)
- 4th Quarter · 21.0
Sergio de Larrea makes 2-foot layup (Moussa Cisse assists)
Houston Rockets — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant | 23 | 15 | 7-12 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +11 |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | 22 | 12 | 4-8 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +12 |
| Alperen Sengun | 22 | 16 | 6-9 | 0-2 | 4-5 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 3 | +22 |
| Fred VanVleet | 24 | 17 | 5-12 | 5-12 | 2-3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +15 |
| Amen Thompson | 24 | 8 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | +7 |
| Tari Eason | 24 | 20 | 6-10 | 2-2 | 6-7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | +17 |
| Isaiah Crawford | 12 | 4 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +7 |
| Julian Phillips | 7 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 |
| Steven Adams | 14 | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -3 |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | 12 | 5 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic | 16 | 4 | 1-4 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +16 |
| Quadir Copeland | 9 | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -8 |
| Sean Pedulla | 4 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Reed Sheppard | 19 | 16 | 6-10 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +12 |
| Bruce Thornton | 9 | 13 | 4-6 | 3-3 | 2-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -8 |
Dallas Mavericks — Players
| Player | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | OREB | DREB | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naji Marshall | 24 | 16 | 7-14 | 1-5 | 1-2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -13 |
| Morez Johnson Jr. | 12 | 4 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -7 |
| Cooper Flagg | 19 | 19 | 7-14 | 1-5 | 4-4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -15 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 24 | 9 | 4-9 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | -13 |
| Max Christie | 24 | 14 | 5-12 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -12 |
| Dwight Powell | 13 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Daniel Gafford | 8 | 7 | 3-4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -3 |
| Tobi Lawal | 15 | 13 | 5-6 | 0-1 | 3-3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +2 |
| Tarik Biberovic | 19 | 9 | 3-9 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -3 |
| Sergio de Larrea | 24 | 11 | 4-6 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -3 |
| Moussa Cisse | 14 | 0 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | -8 |
| Seth Lundy | 14 | 3 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -8 |
| John Poulakidas | 14 | 3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 |
| Jett Howard | 16 | 8 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 |
Houston Rockets — Team statistics
| FG | 47-86 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 55 |
| 3PT | 18-36 |
| Three Point % | 50 |
| FT | 23-32 |
| Free Throw % | 72 |
| Rebounds | 43 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 16 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 27 |
| Assists | 36 |
| Steals | 11 |
| Blocks | 4 |
| Turnovers | 21 |
| Team Turnovers | 0 |
| Total Turnovers | 21 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 29 |
| Fast Break Points | 22 |
| Points in Paint | 54 |
| Fouls | 22 |
| Largest Lead | 28 |
| Lead Changes | 0 |
| Percent Led | 96 |
Dallas Mavericks — Team statistics
| FG | 44-94 |
|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 47 |
| 3PT | 18-51 |
| Three Point % | 35 |
| FT | 11-17 |
| Free Throw % | 65 |
| Rebounds | 38 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 14 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| Assists | 34 |
| Steals | 12 |
| Blocks | 2 |
| Turnovers | 18 |
| Team Turnovers | 1 |
| Total Turnovers | 19 |
| Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 27 |
| Fast Break Points | 24 |
| Points in Paint | 50 |
| Fouls | 25 |
| Largest Lead | 0 |
| Lead Changes | 0 |
| Percent Led | 0 |