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Back to NBA games · Oct 21, 2026

Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets, Oct 21, 2026

NBA · 2026-27Oct 21, 2026 · FinalRegular season

Dallas Mavericks

110AT

Houston Rockets

128
Rockets vs Mavericks: every meeting
STORY

Final

From the verified box score; records count this game

The BreakdownGrind

Rockets win the glass and the arc, beat Mavericks

Houston grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and made 16 threes, while Dallas shot 71.4% inside the arc and trailed by as many as 37.

NightlyHoops desk · The BreakdownWritten by AI (Claude Opus 5.5) from the box score and play-by-play. Every number and name was checked against them.

Houston beat Dallas 128-110 on Wednesday, and the gap was set by halftime. The Rockets led 70-38 at the break. Their lead reached 37 with 6:28 left in the third quarter.

The Mavericks won the second half 72-58. Cooper Flagg led all scorers with 32 points, on 10-of-17 shooting and 11-of-13 at the line. Three comparisons from the box sit underneath the final.

Side by side
DALStatHOU
51.9FG%53.4
29.73PT%44.4
33Rebounds42
8Off. rebounds17
79FG attempts88
21Turnovers15
From the box score. A dot marks a row where the teams are far apart.

Houston took more shots

The Rockets grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. The Mavericks grabbed 8.

Houston finished with 88 field-goal attempts. Dallas finished with 79.

Total rebounds ran 42 to 33. Amen Thompson had six of the offensive boards and finished with 10 rebounds. Alperen Sengun had five on the offensive glass, and he added 23 points. Flagg had none.

Houston's passes found more baskets

The Rockets made 47 field goals and had 32 assists. The Mavericks made 41 and had 20.

Fred VanVleet handed out 11 assists. He did not commit a turnover.

Dallas turned it over 21 times, Houston 15. The steals were close, 12 for the Mavericks and 11 for the Rockets. Zaccharie Risacher took five of them.

The arc and the paint split in opposite directions

From three, Houston shot 44.4% and Dallas 29.7%. The Rockets made 16 threes, the Mavericks 11.

Inside the arc the order flipped. Dallas shot 71.4% there, Houston 59.6%.

Overall the field-goal numbers sat close together: 53.4% for the Rockets, 51.9% for the Mavericks.

Jabari Smith Jr. made 4 of his 8 threes and scored 30. Kevin Durant also scored 30, with 13 of them in the first quarter. Max Christie made 1 of his 7 threes for Dallas.

The Mavericks' pushes after the break came in two runs. Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser and Flagg combined on a 9-0 run late in the third, from 58-95 to 67-95. Flagg scored 13 in that quarter. Sasser then scored six straight points inside an 8-0 run early in the fourth, from 78-103 to 86-103, and he finished with 9 in the period. The final was 128-110.

Who led, and by how much Hover or tap for the score at any moment

DAL ahead above the line · HOU ahead below

101020304050Q1Q2Q3Q4DAL by 5HOU by 37
The margin through the game, from the play-by-play. Above the line DAL leads; below it, HOU.
Sources: the fact sheet this story was written from
  • GAME: Dallas Mavericks (DAL) at Houston Rockets (HOU), Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in Houston. NBA regular season.
  • FINAL: Rockets 128, Mavericks 110. (DAL 110, HOU 128.) Final margin: 18.
  • POINTS BY QUARTER: DAL 26 12 38 34; HOU 32 38 30 28.
  • SCORE AT THE END OF EACH PERIOD (DAL-HOU): Q1 26-32, Q2 38-70, Q3 76-100, Q4 110-128.
  • HALVES: first half, Mavericks 38, Rockets 70; second half, Mavericks 72, Rockets 58.
  • LARGEST LEADS: DAL 5 (5-0, 10:46 left in the 1st quarter); HOU 37 (49-86, 6:28 left in the 3rd quarter). Scores are DAL-HOU.
  • LEAD CHANGES: 7. TIES: 5.
  • Rockets went ahead for good with 0:52.4 left in the 1st quarter, at 26-27 (Kevin Durant, Free Throw 1 of 2).
  • RUNS (8 or more unanswered points; each scorer's points in the run):
  • - HOU 8-0 from 9:38 left in the 1st quarter to 8:56 left in the 1st quarter, 5-0 to 5-8 (Alperen Sengun 5, Fred VanVleet 3)
  • - HOU 9-0 from 4:55 left in the 1st quarter to 3:09 left in the 1st quarter, 18-13 to 18-22 (Jabari Smith Jr. 5, Kevin Durant 2, Tari Eason 2)
  • - HOU 12-0 from 1:14 left in the 1st quarter to 11:21 left in the 2nd quarter, 26-24 to 26-36 (Kevin Durant 6, Amen Thompson 4, Jabari Smith Jr. 2)
  • - HOU 14-0 from 5:54 left in the 2nd quarter to 2:59 left in the 2nd quarter, 36-51 to 36-65 (Jabari Smith Jr. 2, Amen Thompson 5, Alperen Sengun 2, Kevin Durant 3, Marcus Smart 2)
  • - DAL 9-0 from 3:14 left in the 3rd quarter to 1:54 left in the 3rd quarter, 58-95 to 67-95 (Kyrie Irving 4, Marcus Sasser 3, Cooper Flagg 2)
  • - DAL 8-0 from 10:32 left in the 4th quarter to 9:06 left in the 4th quarter, 78-103 to 86-103 (Cooper Flagg 2, Marcus Sasser 6)
  • STRAIGHT TEAM POINTS BY ONE PLAYER (the other team may score in between):
  • - Cooper Flagg scored 7 straight Mavericks points, from 11:36 left in the 3rd quarter to 9:43 left in the 3rd quarter (40-70, 41-73, 42-73, 44-76, 45-76).
  • - Marcus Sasser scored 6 straight Mavericks points, from 9:56 left in the 4th quarter to 9:06 left in the 4th quarter (83-103, 85-103, 86-103).
  • - Kevin Durant scored 6 straight Rockets points, from 1:14 left in the 1st quarter to 0:36 left in the 1st quarter (26-25, 26-26, 26-27, 26-28, 26-30).
  • - Alperen Sengun scored 7 straight Rockets points, from 7:01 left in the 3rd quarter to 4:53 left in the 3rd quarter (49-83, 49-86, 56-88).
  • TIMELINE (the facts above in game order, each at the moment it began; a later line began later; scores DAL-HOU):
  • - 10:46 left in the 1st quarter: DAL leads by 5, its largest lead (5-0).
  • - 9:38 to 8:56 left in the 1st quarter: HOU 8-0 run, 5-0 to 5-8.
  • - 4:55 to 3:09 left in the 1st quarter: HOU 9-0 run, 18-13 to 18-22.
  • - 1:14 left in the 1st quarter to 11:21 left in the 2nd quarter: HOU 12-0 run, 26-24 to 26-36.
  • - 1:14 to 0:36 left in the 1st quarter: Kevin Durant scores 6 straight Rockets points (26-25 after the first, 26-30 after the last).
  • - 0:52.4 left in the 1st quarter: Rockets go ahead for good, 26-27.
  • - End of the 1st quarter: 26-32.
  • - 5:54 to 2:59 left in the 2nd quarter: HOU 14-0 run, 36-51 to 36-65.
  • - End of the 2nd quarter: 38-70.
  • - 11:36 to 9:43 left in the 3rd quarter: Cooper Flagg scores 7 straight Mavericks points (40-70 after the first, 45-76 after the last).
  • - 7:01 to 4:53 left in the 3rd quarter: Alperen Sengun scores 7 straight Rockets points (49-83 after the first, 56-88 after the last).
  • - 6:28 left in the 3rd quarter: HOU leads by 37, its largest lead (49-86).
  • - 3:14 to 1:54 left in the 3rd quarter: DAL 9-0 run, 58-95 to 67-95.
  • - End of the 3rd quarter: 76-100.
  • - 10:32 to 9:06 left in the 4th quarter: DAL 8-0 run, 78-103 to 86-103.
  • - 9:56 to 9:06 left in the 4th quarter: Marcus Sasser scores 6 straight Mavericks points (83-103 after the first, 86-103 after the last).
  • - End of the 4th quarter: 110-128.
  • TEAM TOTALS:
  • - DAL: FG 41-79 (51.9%), 3PT 11-37 (29.7%), FT 17-26, 33 rebounds (8 offensive), 20 assists, 21 turnovers, 12 steals, 4 blocks, 46 bench points
  • - HOU: FG 47-88 (53.4%), 3PT 16-36 (44.4%), FT 18-25, 42 rebounds (17 offensive), 32 assists, 15 turnovers, 11 steals, 2 blocks, 23 bench points
  • TWO-POINT SHOOTING (inside the arc: FG less 3PT):
  • - DAL: 2PT 30-42 (71.4%)
  • - HOU: 2PT 31-52 (59.6%)
  • PLAYERS, Dallas Mavericks:
  • - Cooper Flagg (starter, 33 min): 32 pts, 5 reb (0 off), 2 ast, FG 10-17, 3PT 1-4, FT 11-13, 3 stl, 1 blk, 4 tov, 4 fouls, +/- -6 | points by period 5-4-13-10
  • - Marcus Sasser (bench, 24 min): 17 pts, 1 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 6-8, 3PT 4-5, FT 1-1, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 2 fouls, +/- 0 | points by period 3-0-5-9
  • - Naji Marshall (bench, 29 min): 16 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 6 ast, FG 7-13, 3PT 2-6, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 3 fouls, +/- -12 | points by period 3-2-5-6
  • - Kyrie Irving (starter, 24 min): 15 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 2 ast, FG 6-9, 3PT 1-4, FT 2-2, 1 stl, 0 blk, 4 tov, 1 foul, +/- -7 | points by period 2-2-11-0
  • - P.J. Washington (starter, 31 min): 10 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 2 ast, FG 4-9, 3PT 2-6, FT 0-2, 0 stl, 1 blk, 4 tov, 2 fouls, +/- -27 | points by period 8-0-2-0
  • - Morez Johnson Jr. (bench, 14 min): 6 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 1 ast, FG 3-5, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-2, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 5 fouls, +/- -20 | points by period 0-4-2-0
  • - Max Christie (starter, 29 min): 5 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 2 ast, FG 2-8, 3PT 1-7, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 2 fouls, +/- -21 | points by period 5-0-0-0
  • - Zaccharie Risacher (bench, 27 min): 4 pts, 6 reb (1 off), 2 ast, FG 2-7, 3PT 0-4, FT 0-0, 5 stl, 0 blk, 3 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +7 | points by period 0-0-0-4
  • - Moussa Cisse (bench, 3 min): 3 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 1-1, 3PT 0-0, FT 1-2, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +1 | points by period 0-0-0-3
  • - Daniel Gafford (starter, 22 min): 2 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 1 ast, FG 0-1, 3PT 0-0, FT 2-4, 1 stl, 2 blk, 1 tov, 4 fouls, +/- +9 | points by period 0-0-0-2
  • - Sergio de Larrea (bench, 7 min): 0 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 1 ast, FG 0-1, 3PT 0-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- -14
  • PLAYERS, Houston Rockets:
  • - Jabari Smith Jr. (starter, 36 min): 30 pts, 5 reb (2 off), 1 ast, FG 11-17, 3PT 4-8, FT 4-5, 2 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 3 fouls, +/- +18 | points by period 5-11-6-8
  • - Kevin Durant (starter, 37 min): 30 pts, 6 reb (0 off), 3 ast, FG 10-16, 3PT 2-4, FT 8-11, 1 stl, 1 blk, 4 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +12 | points by period 13-3-7-7
  • - Alperen Sengun (starter, 30 min): 23 pts, 10 reb (5 off), 5 ast, FG 9-15, 3PT 2-2, FT 3-4, 0 stl, 0 blk, 4 tov, 4 fouls, +/- +23 | points by period 7-7-9-0
  • - Amen Thompson (starter, 33 min): 16 pts, 10 reb (6 off), 4 ast, FG 6-12, 3PT 1-2, FT 3-5, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 1 foul, +/- +5 | points by period 2-7-5-2
  • - Marcus Smart (bench, 26 min): 10 pts, 2 reb (0 off), 2 ast, FG 4-6, 3PT 2-4, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 1 foul, +/- +14 | points by period 0-5-3-2
  • - Fred VanVleet (starter, 30 min): 6 pts, 2 reb (0 off), 11 ast, FG 2-8, 3PT 2-6, FT 0-0, 3 stl, 1 blk, 0 tov, 4 fouls, +/- +19 | points by period 3-0-0-3
  • - Bogdan Bogdanović (bench, 13 min): 5 pts, 1 reb (1 off), 2 ast, FG 2-3, 3PT 1-2, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +7 | points by period 0-5-0-0
  • - Isaiah Crawford (bench, 3 min): 3 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 1-1, 3PT 1-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +1 | points by period 0-0-0-3
  • - Reed Sheppard (bench, 16 min): 3 pts, 2 reb (0 off), 4 ast, FG 1-6, 3PT 1-6, FT 0-0, 2 stl, 0 blk, 3 tov, 1 foul, +/- -5 | points by period 0-0-0-3
  • - Tari Eason (bench, 3 min): 2 pts, 1 reb (1 off), 0 ast, FG 1-2, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 1 foul, +/- +4 | points by period 2-0-0-0
  • - Bruce Thornton (bench, 3 min): 0 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 0-1, 3PT 0-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- -1
  • - Clint Capela (bench, 8 min): 0 pts, 3 reb (2 off), 0 ast, FG 0-0, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 1 foul, +/- -6
  • - Jae'Sean Tate (bench, 2 min): 0 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 0-1, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- -1
  • PLAYER FACTS:
  • - Kevin Durant scored 13 in the 1st quarter.
  • - Cooper Flagg scored 13 in the 3rd quarter.
  • - Cooper Flagg made 6 field goals in a row.
  • - Kevin Durant was called for 1 flagrant.
  • - Tari Eason was called for 1 flagrant.
  • SCORING PLAYS IN THE LAST 6:00 OF THE 4TH QUARTER (DAL-HOU after the play):
  • - 5:44 DAL +2 Zaccharie Risacher (running DUNK) -> 96-113
  • - 5:18 HOU +3 Kevin Durant (25' 3PT) -> 96-116
  • - 5:04 DAL +2 Naji Marshall (driving Layup) -> 98-116
  • - 4:45 HOU +2 Jabari Smith Jr. (11' turnaround Jump Shot) -> 98-118
  • - 4:33 DAL +2 Cooper Flagg (16' step back Jump Shot) -> 100-118
  • - 4:19 HOU +1 Kevin Durant (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 100-119
  • - 4:19 HOU +1 Kevin Durant (Free Throw 2 of 2) -> 100-120
  • - 2:57 DAL +3 Marcus Sasser (25' 3PT running) -> 103-120
  • - 2:30 HOU +2 Amen Thompson (9' driving floating Jump Shot) -> 103-122
  • - 2:10 DAL +2 Naji Marshall (9' driving floating Jump Shot) -> 105-122
  • - 1:56 HOU +3 Jabari Smith Jr. (24' 3PT) -> 105-125
  • - 1:49 DAL +1 Moussa Cisse (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 106-125
  • - 1:21 DAL +2 Moussa Cisse (alley-oop Layup) -> 108-125
  • - 0:54.1 HOU +3 Isaiah Crawford (3PT) -> 108-128
  • - 0:42.3 DAL +2 Naji Marshall (turnaround Jump Shot) -> 110-128
  • SEASON LINES THE GAME'S PREVIEW STATED (before this game):
  • - Cooper Flagg averaged 21.1 points in 69 games last season.
  • - Max Christie averaged 12.3 points in 76 games last season.
  • - Alperen Sengun averaged 20.4 points in 72 games last season.
  • - Amen Thompson averaged 18.3 points in 79 games last season.
  • ANGLE: Grind. VOICE: The Breakdown.
PREVIEW

Before tip

As it stood at tip · open to read

The Mavericks play at the Rockets on Wednesday, Oct 21, at 8:30 PM EDT. Last season, the Mavericks went 26-55 in the games the source holds, and the Mavericks' confirmed starters are Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Max Christie (NBA official lineups, 4:05 PM EDT). Last season, the Rockets went 52-30, and the Rockets' confirmed starters are Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson (NBA official lineups, 4:05 PM EDT). The Rockets won the last meeting with the Mavericks 111-107 on Jan 31, at home. Since 2019-20, the Rockets are 10-15 against the Mavericks in the regular season (1 left out: score not verified).

Written by AI (Claude Haiku 5.5) from the facts below; every name and number is filled in from the data, not by the model.

Facts as of 10:52 AM EDT

  • The Mavericks play at the Rockets on Wednesday, Oct 21, at 8:30 PM EDT.
  • Last season, the Mavericks went 26-55 in the games the source holds.
  • Cooper Flagg averaged 21.1 points in 69 games last season.
  • Max Christie averaged 12.3 points in 76 games last season.
  • The Mavericks' confirmed starters are Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Max Christie (NBA official lineups, 4:05 PM EDT).
  • Last season, the Rockets went 52-30.
  • Alperen Sengun averaged 20.4 points in 72 games last season.
  • Amen Thompson averaged 18.3 points in 79 games last season.
  • The Rockets' confirmed starters are Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson (NBA official lineups, 4:05 PM EDT).
  • The Rockets won the last meeting with the Mavericks 111-107 on Jan 31, at home.
  • Since 2019-20, the Rockets are 10-15 against the Mavericks in the regular season (1 left out: score not verified).

Starting fives

Confirmed by the league’s official lineups. Until then: in the NBA, the five those lineups list as expected; otherwise, the five each team started in its last game.

Dallas Mavericks

Confirmed · 4:05 PM EDT

NBA Official Lineups API

  1. KI
    Kyrie IrvingPG · No averages held
  2. MC
    Max ChristieSG · 12.3 PTS · 3.2 REB · 1.9 AST · 76 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  3. CF
    Cooper FlaggSF · 21.1 PTS · 6.6 REB · 4.5 AST · 69 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  4. PW
    P.J. WashingtonPF · 14.3 PTS · 7.1 REB · 1.7 AST · 55 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  5. DG
    Daniel GaffordC · 9.6 PTS · 6.9 REB · 1.0 AST · 54 GP · 2025-26 regular season

Houston Rockets

Confirmed · 4:05 PM EDT

NBA Official Lineups API

  1. FV
    Fred VanVleetPG · No averages held
  2. AT
    Amen ThompsonSG · 18.3 PTS · 7.8 REB · 5.3 AST · 79 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  3. KD
    Kevin DurantSF · 26.0 PTS · 5.5 REB · 4.8 AST · 78 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  4. JS
    Jabari Smith Jr.PF · 15.8 PTS · 6.9 REB · 1.9 AST · 77 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  5. AS
    Alperen SengunC · 20.4 PTS · 8.9 REB · 6.2 AST · 72 GP · 2025-26 regular season

Injury report

The league’s official report: each listed player’s status and reason as reported, in report order.

Dallas Mavericks

Checked 8:17 PM EDT

Not available from the sourceThe latest report does not cover this game.

Houston Rockets

Checked 8:17 PM EDT

Not available from the sourceThe latest report does not cover this game.

SELECTED PLAYER
CF

Cooper Flagg

DAL · Starter · 32:56 MIN

BOX SCORE

Player contributions

Choose any row to inspect

Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets: one row per player, by points, highest first. Team totals add up the player rows.
PLAYERMINPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOVPFFG3PTFT+/-
32:563252314410–171–411–13-6
36:283051201311–174–84–5+18
37:253063114210–162–48–11+12
29:562310500449–152–23–4+23
23:42171110126–84–51–10
33:221610410116–121–23–5+5
28:44162610237–132–60–0-12
23:45154210416–91–42–2-7
26:28102210114–62–40–0+14
30:33104201424–92–60–2-27
29:34621131042–82–60–0+19
13:5063100053–50–00–2-20
13:0451200022–31–20–0+7
28:3253200222–81–70–0-21
27:0646250302–70–40–0+7
2:4230000001–11–10–0+1
2:3030000001–10–01–2+1
15:4532420311–61–60–0-5
21:3023112140–10–02–4+9
3:0521010011–20–00–0+4
2:3000000000–10–10–0-1
7:5103000110–00–00–0-6
1:4900000000–10–00–0-1
6:5102100000–10–10–0-14
DNP———————————
DNP———————————
DNP———————————
DAL totalsSum of 11 player lines1103320124212341–7911–3717–26
HOU totalsSum of 13 player lines1284232112152047–8816–3618–25

Team totals add up the player rows above. DNP: did not play. —: not recorded. Quarter scores are not shown.

SURPRISES

Against their usual

Regular season · Game Score against each player's usual line

DALDallas Mavericks

Every scored player stayed within the usual range.

HOUHouston Rockets

3 of 4 scored players stayed within the usual range.