Cooper Flagg scores 19 as Mavericks fall to Rockets 135-117

Dallas Starts in a Hole

DALLAS — Cooper Flagg scored 19 points, but the Dallas Mavericks could not overcome an early deficit Friday, falling 135-117 to the Houston Rockets at Venetian Arena.

Houston opened the game with a 9-0 run, with Fred VanVleet making three consecutive shots. Dallas answered with baskets from Max Christie and Cooper Flagg, but the Rockets led 27-19 after the first quarter.

Houston Builds Its Lead

The gap widened in the second quarter. Houston outscored Dallas 38-26, taking a 65-45 advantage into halftime. Alperen Sengun contributed 10 assists and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, while Tari Eason led Houston with 20 points.

Jabari Smith Jr. added a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter, and Houston received additional scoring from Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet. Dallas got 3-pointers from Flagg and Max Christie during the period, along with two-point baskets from Flagg and Naji Marshall.

Mavericks Trim the Margin

Dallas produced its best quarter after halftime, scoring 35 points in the third. Houston still added 34 and carried a 99-80 lead into the final period.

Flagg scored during the third-quarter sequence, while Christie, Naji Marshall, Tarik Biberovic, Zaccharie Risacher and Sergio de Larrea also scored for Dallas. Risacher finished with eight rebounds, and Dwight Powell had eight assists.

The Mavericks scored 37 points in the fourth quarter, one more than Houston’s 36, but the late push did not erase the deficit. Dallas received fourth-quarter scoring from several players, including Jett Howard, Tobi Lawal, Bruce Thornton and Sergio de Larrea before the final basket.

Records

The Rockets finished with a 135-117 victory. Houston led 27-19 after one quarter, 65-45 at halftime and 99-80 after three quarters.

The game was played before an attendance of 11,564 at Venetian Arena. The result left Houston at 1-0 and Dallas at 0-1.

Sources

ESPN