Luka Doncic's Dominant Performance Leads Dallas Mavs to Victory Over Houston Rockets

Luka Doncic provided a dominant performance to guide the Mavs to victory over the Rockets, extending Dallas' winning streak to seven straight.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after scoring a / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — In a matchup involving the NBA's two hottest teams, the Dallas Mavericks (45-29) and Houston Rockets (38-36), the Mavs won 125-107. Luka Doncic had a dominant performance, scoring 47 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in 35 minutes. The Mavs ended the Rockets' NBA-best 11-game winning streak, while extending their own to seven straight.

Kyrie Irving provided a helpful boost alongside Doncic, finishing with 24 points and seven assists. Dante Exum scored 13 points while shooting perfectly on his five shot attempts, three of which were perimeter looks. P.J. Washington added another 12 points and six rebounds. Dallas shot a staggering 51.6% overall and overwhelmed Houston with 24 made 3-pointers on a 51.1% clip.

“The chemistry and the trust is at an all-time high right now," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after scoring a / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas improved to 11-1 over its previous 12 games as the team builds on its defensive improvement and favorable health as a group. The Mavs' only loss over this 12-game span occurred against the Oklahoma City Thunder with Doncic sidelined due to injury, meaning the team has won 11 straight with Doncic in the lineup.

"I think our difference in our energy," Doncic said. "It's been at the high level for most of those games. We stay together all the time. So even when teams make a run, we stay together and that's the most important thing."

The Rockets struggled to get much going with the recently surging Jalen Green being held to 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists on inefficient shooting splits. Jabari Smith Jr. tried to overcompensate with 28 points and a career-high five made 3-pointers, but the team's lackluster offensive display wasn't nearly enough to compete against Dallas.

After the Rockets jumped out to a 5-0 lead, the Mavs fired back with a vengeance using a 15-5 run. Dallas went on to lead 36-24 at the end of the opening period, with Doncic having 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. The Mavs and Doncic never looked back for the remainder of what proved to be a dominant effort.

Houston started without a traditional big man due to Alperen Sengun's injury, so the focus was on switching in ball screen coverage. Dallas emphasized hunting mismatches for Doncic to exploit. The Rockets tried every matchup imaginable early on to try to slow down Doncic, ranging from Dillon Brooks to Smith, but nothing worked as they refrained from doubling.

"We were aggressive," Doncic said. "They switched, so I think me and [Kyrie] went to work. Everybody else was open, so we were able to knock those shots down."

Doncic admitted he prefers when the defense doubles him, in order to create advantages for his teammates. However, he took full advantage of frequently and went on to score a season high 26 isolation points against the Rockets.

"I'm surprised when they double me because I usually make the right read, so then it's 4-on-3 basketball with a lot of space," Doncic said. "When they double me, there's chances for everybody to get involved, and that's what we do in [Sacramento]. I think I'm most surprised when they double me."

With Doncic drawing help defense midway throughout the period, he frequently sprayed out passes to teammates for spot-up attempts. Dante Exum converted on a pair of makes off the bench. Houston tried adjusting to have Jack Landale guard ball screening actions and play up-to-touch, but Doncic got into a step-back from beyond the arc to counter. He then banked in a step-back against Landale after a switch, pushing the Mavs' lead to 30-17.

The Mavs emphasized trapping Green to get the ball out of his hands. Houston was held in check early, even to a shot clock violation late in the opening period when Fred VanVleet drove into Dereck Lively II's verticality. A common approach was pre-switching and leaving a rim protector by the paint, especially when Amen Thompson was on the court.

"I thought the guys executed the defense the team tonight, making sure the ball fell on the other guys," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "We knew that Green was playing at a high level, so we tried to just keep it tough on him, knowing that he can make tough shots.

Doncic returned to the game late in the second quarter and picked up where he left off, playing off two feet on a drive to finish against Landale — the Rockets' closest resemblance to a center. Houston was too small to handle Doncic's combination of size and skill throughout the night. He continued pouring it on the Rockets, with the defense rarely doubling him, hitting another step-back 3-pointer and using an and-one turnaround jumper to push the lead to 21 before halftime.

"One thing that I've learned is being on very special teams, great teams, you've got to be able to play every role," Irving said. "When somebody's the scorer for five straight minutes, keep feeding that good energy, that positive reinforcement, and you just play defense and enjoy doing the little things for someone to get back on the offensive end because when [Doncic] is being that efficient, he's being that aggressive, it'll open up more opportunities for us."

With a 66-45 lead at the break, Doncic scored or assists on 46 points before the break, while the Rockets had scored 45 as a team. Dallas benefited from a significant disparity in perimeter shooting results. The Mavs had 13 makes from deep while converting at a 54.2% clip, while Houston was shooting 4-17 (23.5%). A significant factor in the Mavs' success was continued connectivity on defense, which has helped propel them to success over their last dozen games, with defensive anchors Daniel Gafford and Lively setting the tone.

"Just being in the right spots, I feel like and being able to talk on that end as well is important, so I feel like we're doing a great job of that right now, and everybody's connected down there," Washington said. "Gafford and Lively are doing great blocking stuff at the rim."

Coming out of the break, Doncic continued to make dynamic plays by dominating with Houston choosing not to double him. He hit another step-back jumper from the perimeter for his seventh made 3-pointer of the night. He got stuck with a killed dribble after drawing Smith on a switch and trying to get into a step-back but stepped through for an underhanded, 20-foot shot and banked it in. A scoop finish on a transition drive put him at 39 points.

"I wasn't surprised," Doncic said of his underhanded shot going in. "You know, when I was young, I was bartending, so it's easy."

As the Mavs continued to stifle the Rockets' offense by doubling Green, they did not relent in their attack on offense. Dallas led by 29 points midway through the third quarter after Doncic played out a triple threat to raise into a 3-pointer, then hit another step-back from beyond the arc. He scored 47 points before checking out of the game late in the third period, with the Mavs leading by a substantial margin.

Dallas began playing out of Horns sets, with the Rockets' focus on Doncic. He dished out an assist to a wide-open Exum in the paint with a no-look hook pass, further exemplifying his offensive impact. Houston began doubling him on the following possession. At this point, Doncic totaled 47 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in 30 minutes of playing time.

The Rockets began to make somewhat of a rallying effort, cutting the Mavs' lead below 20 points after using a 13-4 run late in the third quarter. Dallas was up 93-73 entering the fourth period. The surge did not last. Irving led the bench group to begin the final frame with Jaden Hardy next to him in the backcourt. The Mavs heated up from the perimeter after the Rockets cut the deficit to 17 points. Irving scored or assisted on the team's initial 17 points of the period to push Dallas back up by as many as 28 points.

"Kai, I thought, did a great job there in the second half being able to play the one-on-one and being able to score," Kidd said. "Those two don't see double teams. I think they'll take advantage of that."

Despite how lopsided the score was midway through the fourth quarter, Doncic checked into the game with 7:23 left to play. Houston doubled him frequently to prevent him from scoring. He went scoreless for the rest of the night, but Irving made some flashy scoring plays, including breaking down a defender with his handle to get into the paint for a finish and then a snatch-back move for a jumper. Dallas did the work of solidifying the victory in the early stages.

Looking ahead, the Mavs will conclude a five-game Western Conference road trip with a final stop in San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors. Dallas was initially supposed to play at Chase Center on January 19 before Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic passed away while the team was in Salt Lake City, causing the NBA to make schedule adjustments. Dallas faces a five-game road trip instead of the original schedule, with Houston as the final stop.

"It went a 30-minute flight home [now] it's a four-hour flight [to San Francisco]," Doncic said. "I miss home now. It has been the longest road trip ever. 12 days I think it is."