Tari Eason scores 20 as Rockets defeat Mavericks 135-117

Rockets set the tone

Tari Eason scored 20 points, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-117 on Friday at Venetian Arena. Houston, the visiting team, built its advantage through the first three quarters before Dallas finished with its highest-scoring period of the game.

Alperen Sengun added 10 assists and 10 rebounds for the Rockets. Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 19 points, while Dwight Powell had eight assists and Zaccharie Risacher collected eight rebounds.

Houston builds a large lead

The Rockets outscored Dallas 27-19 in the opening quarter and expanded the margin in the second. Houston scored 38 points in the period, while the Mavericks had 26, sending the Rockets into halftime with a 65-45 lead.

Eason scored during Houston’s second-quarter push, while Sengun contributed scoring and playmaking. Dallas had a response after halftime, but it was not enough to erase the deficit.

Mavericks make a late push

Dallas outscored Houston 35-34 in the third quarter, trimming the margin by one point as the Rockets took a 99-80 lead into the fourth. The Mavericks then scored 37 points in the final period, their best quarter of the game.

Houston still produced 36 fourth-quarter points to preserve the 18-point victory. The final score was Houston 135, Dallas 117.

The game was played before an attendance of 11,564 at Venetian Arena, where Dallas was the home team.

Records

The Rockets moved to 1-0 after the victory. The Mavericks finished the game 0-1.

Sources

ESPN