3 Takeaways From Mavericks' New Year's Loss to Rockets

It was a rough go of it for the Mavs as they rang in 2025 with a loss

Jan 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) drives with the ball as Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks suffered their third straight loss on Wednesday night, falling 110-99 to the Houston Rockets to ring in the new year. This was the worry of some fans when Luka Doncic went out, as Kyrie Irving hasn't been able to do enough offensively to lift them to some wins. And with a game coming up against the NBA's top team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas has some issues to work out.

Once again, it was competitive early, as it wasn't until a 13-0 run in the middle of the second quarter that Houston finally grabbed control of the game. From there, Dallas just couldn't ever get within striking range. When the offense was rolling, they couldn't get stops. And when they were getting stops, Dallas was ice-cold on offense and turning the ball over. It was one of those cyclical games that could've been fixed with a few key things.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's loss.

1. Too Many Turnovers

The Mavericks turned the ball over 20 times on Wednesday night, which led to 22 Houston points. The Rockets were dead set on trapping Kyrie Irving whenever possible, which is why he only attempted 13 shots and had four turnovers. Klay Thompson (five turnovers), Spencer Dinwiddie (three), Jaden Hardy (three), Maxi Kleber (two), and Daniel Gafford (two) all had multiple turnovers as well. This now drops the Mavs to around league average in turnovers per game, a state they've almost always been in the top 10 throughout franchise history. Offense is already hard enough when Luka Doncic is out, but they're making it harder on themselves.

2. Dereck Lively II vs Daniel Gafford

Dereck Lively II returned on Wednesday after missing the last three games, but he was on a minutes restriction. In 20 minutes, Lively had eight points, six rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and four fouls and was a +5. Then, when Daniel Gafford came in, he had four points, four rebounds, and two fouls while being a -27 in just 11 minutes. Gafford played so poorly in this game that Jason Kidd went to Maxi Kleber at center, who wasn't much better. Gafford has now had a negative +/- in four of the last five games, all of those being losses. And a lot of those games were winnable, too. Being a +/- watcher can be dangerous, but he hasn't been playing well recently. It's getting to the point where the Mavericks could explore trades for him, and it wouldn't surprise me.

3. First Quarter Fouls

The Mavericks had a ten-point lead in the first quarter but allowed Houston to get back into it by letting them get to the free-throw line. The Rockets were in the bonus midway through the quarter and shot 13 free throws in the first. They'd only shoot ten more for the rest of the game. This is why Dereck Lively II needs to get over his fouling issues, and why Daniel Gafford needs to be better.

READ MORE: Key Mavericks Role Player Suffered Injury In Recent Loss to Rockets

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