Tari Eason scores 20 as Rockets defeat Mavericks 135-117

Second-quarter separation

Tari Eason scored 20 points, and the Houston Rockets turned a strong second quarter into a 135-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Venetian Arena. Houston, the visiting team, outscored Dallas 38-26 in the second quarter and led 65-45 after two periods.

The Rockets had already taken control early, opening with a 27-19 advantage after the first quarter. Fred VanVleet made Houston's first three shots, all from beyond the 3-point line, as the Rockets established a 9-0 lead. Dallas answered with scoring from Max Christie, Cooper Flagg and Daniel Gafford, but Houston carried an eight-point edge into the second quarter.

Houston maintains its margin

Houston extended its advantage throughout the second period. Alperen Sengun contributed 10 assists and 10 rebounds, while Eason's scoring helped the Rockets sustain their lead. Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Durant also scored during Houston's second-quarter run, which pushed the margin to 20 points by halftime.

Dallas made some progress in the third quarter, scoring 35 points, but Houston still added 34 and took a 99-80 lead into the final period. The Rockets' scoring included 3-pointers from VanVleet, Reed Sheppard and Durant. Dallas received 19 points from Flagg, along with 8 assists from Dwight Powell and 8 rebounds from Zaccharie Risacher.

Mavericks close the gap late

The Mavericks scored 37 points in the fourth quarter, one more than Houston's 36, but the difference was not enough to erase the deficit. Dallas cut into the margin during the period with 3-pointers from Naji Marshall, John Poulakidas, Seth Lundy and Sergio de Larrea. Houston answered with baskets from Eason, Sheppard and Bruce Thornton before closing out the game.

Records

The game was played before an attendance of 11,564 at Venetian Arena. Houston moved to 1-0, while Dallas fell to 0-1 after the result.

Sources

ESPN