Mavericks 116, Rockets 111: Dallas wins the fourth 40-27 to hand Houston its first loss
Houston led after three quarters of an NBA Cup opener, then missed key free throws as Dallas closed on a 40-point fourth.
Dallas Mavericks 116, Houston Rockets 111 ended the Rockets' perfect start. Houston had been 5-0 and fell to 5-1 at American Airlines Center on Friday night, Oct. 30, in NBA Cup group play. The Mavericks improved to 4-2, per the ESPN box score.
Quarter by quarter
Dallas won the first quarter 27-20, Houston the second 31-17 and the third 33-32. That left the Rockets ahead going into the fourth. Dallas then outscored Houston 40-27 in the final period, the largest single-quarter margin of the night, to take the game.
Where it turned
Yahoo Sports' recaps point to free throws. Kevin Durant missed two in a row in the fourth quarter, and in the final minute Amen Thompson missed his first free throw and then committed a lane violation on an intentional miss, which gave the ball back to Dallas.
Houston did much else right on the glass, according to Yahoo: the Rockets won the rebounding battle 48-41 and had a 20-12 edge in second-chance opportunities, but did not finish well enough to offset it. Dallas shot 12-of-33 from three (36%) to Houston's 7-of-29 (24%). Fred VanVleet had six assists and no turnovers but shot 6-of-17.
The individual lines
Cooper Flagg scored 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting with nine rebounds, six assists and two steals in 39 minutes, per Yahoo. Daniel Gafford added 18 points and seven rebounds, missing only one shot. For Houston, Durant had 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22.
Houston played without Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
What it means
The Rockets' loss was their first of the season, and because it was the Cup opener for both teams it also dents their group-play position, though the recaps do not say how much. Yahoo notes Houston must play better to avoid elimination from the Cup. The Rockets host Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Dallas has this result and a 4-2 record to build on.