Mavericks End Rockets' Winless Streak
Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg combined for 68 points as Dallas defeated Houston 116-111 on Friday.
By Lina Lewis ·
Dallas defeated Houston 116-111 on Friday night to end the Rockets' perfect start to the season.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 points for the Mavericks, while rookie Cooper Flagg added 33. Irving scored 26 of his points in the second half. He hit a jumper that gave Dallas the lead at 102-100. Flagg was 13 for 19 from the field, including a three-point play late in the game.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 28 points. He missed two free throws with 1:53 remaining while Houston trailed by two. Amen Thompson also missed a free throw with 42 seconds left. P.J. Washington threw the ball directly to Thompson, forcing the turnover. Flagg scored on the next possession. Daniel Gafford added 18 points for Dallas, including two free throws with 11 seconds left and a one-point lead.
Houston outscored Dallas 31-17 in the second quarter. That run turned a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 10 of his 22 total points during that stretch. Fred VanVleet finished with 16 points, and Thompson had 15. The Rockets shot 24 for 33 from the free-throw line.
The Mavericks used two intentional fouls in the final 10 seconds to protect their lead. Irving made all six of his free throws in the game. That extends his active streak of made free throws to 54. The streak began before he missed 19 months with a torn left ACL.
The loss leaves Memphis as the only unbeaten team in the league. Memphis is 5-0. The Rockets will host Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Dallas will host Sacramento on Monday night.
