Mavericks Drop Third Straight, Lose to Rockets 110-99

Too many issues for the Mavericks to overcome in this one, as they end their road trip with a third straight loss

Jan 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives with the ball as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks entered Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets on a two-game losing skid, and both teams had players suspended from fights against other teams. The two teams from Texas are third and fourth in the Western Conference standings, and any win would help try to keep pace at the top of the conference.

With Luka Doncic still out, the Mavericks started Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II. Houston rolled with Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.

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The Dallas Mavericks scored seven of the first nine points before the Rockets made it a 9-6 game with some free throws. Klay Thompson was active early, though, making two three-pointers and another with his foot on the line in the first four minutes to give the Mavs a 14-6 lead. A P.J. Washington mid-range jumper would extend that lead into double digits.

Houston was in the bonus early, though, which allowed them to get back into the game. Just a couple of minutes later, an 8-0 run by the Rockets got it down to 16-14, then they'd tie it a few plays later at 18, with eight of those points coming at the line. Dallas and Houston would exchange the lead a few times, with the Rockets getting pull-up jumpers from Dillon Brooks and more free throws, while the Mavs got some made threes by Maxi Kleber and Quentin Grimes, and a 7-0 run by the Mavs gave them a 30-24 lead heading into the third quarter despite Kyrie Irving going scoreless.

Grimes, a Houston native, had a strong start to the second quarter, getting into double figures for the game and extending Dallas' lead to nine. A Spencer Dinwiddie three gave the Mavs a 40-30 lead, forcing yet another Houston timeout, their second of the first four minutes. But Houston would storm back, double-teaming Kyrie Irving to force other Mavericks to beat them, and it was working. Just a few minutes later, Dallas was clinging to a 42-40 lead.

Kyrie Irving finally got his first points of the game on a goaltend, but the Rockets still took a 45-44 lead following a three-pointer by Cam Whitmore. A 13-0 run finally gave the Rockets a 53-44 advantage as Whitmore scored his 13th points of the night and some solid production from Jalen Green. Jaden Hardy woke up to make some shots, but it wasn't enough to claw back in the game, with the Rockets taking a 61-52 lead into halftime.

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PJ Washington would be ruled out for the rest of the game with a knee sprain, and that allowed the Rockets to break open a 16-point lead. Dallas was able to get Kyrie Irving going more to chip the lead down to 10 a few times, but getting the lead back under 10 was a struggle. Alperen Sengun was giving Daniel Gafford some issues down low, and the Mavericks were having major struggles on offense.

Houston was nearly able to take a 20-point lead, but Jae'Sean Tate smoked a layup before the Mavs had a quick 6-0 burst to bring the lead down to 11 in the final minute of the third quarter. But Dillon Brooks didn't want them to have too much momentum, sinking a three-pointer to give the Rockets an 89-75 lead heading into the fourth.

The Mavericks hit three straight threes to start the fourth quarter, but because they weren't getting stops on the other end, they could only get the lead down to 11 in the opening minutes. A stepback transition three by Cam Whitmore would push their lead to 18, matching Houston's largest of the game.

Dallas had a chance to get the lead down to 10 with around 3:30 to go, as Kyrie Irving ripped the ball away from Houston, but Quentin Grimes couldn't handle the kick-ahead pass as it went out of bounds. That was a good summation of the second half as a whole, as the Rockets would go on to win 110-99.

Turnovers and fouling were costly for the Mavs in this game, turning it over 20 times and fouling Houston 20 times, leading to 23 free throws for the Rockets.

Quentin Grimes led the Mavs in scoring in his hometown with 17 points, followed by Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, who had 16 points each. Jaden Hardy with 11 points was the only other Mav in double figures.

Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green had strong games for Houston, scoring 23 and 22 points, respectively. Dillon Brooks (19 points), Cam Whitmore (18), and Jabari Smith Jr. were also in double figures.

The Mavericks have now lost three straight games and host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, holders of the NBA's best record.

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