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Jalen Green takes over late as Rockets upset defending West champs in Dallas

Vaseline November 1, 2024

In the final game of a three-game Western Conference road trip, the Houston Rockets earned one of their most satisfying victories in some time with Thursday’s 108-102 road victory (box score) over the defending Western champion Dallas Mavericks.

Houston and Dallas are now both 3-2 in the young regular season as the 2024-2025 NBA calendar moves to November.

Green finished with a team-high 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He connected on 9 of 21 shots (42.9%) and 3 of 8 from 3-point range (37.5%), including a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to secure the victory to set. In all, Green scored almost half of his points (11) in a decisive fourth quarter.

Superstar guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the Mavs with 29 and 28 points, respectively, and combined to make an efficient 22 of 45 shots (48.9%). After trailing by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, the quick shooting of that perennial All-Star duo allowed the Mavericks to close the deficit to just one possession late in the fourth quarter.

But as was the case on Monday in San Antonio, Green made enough late plays to put the game away and secure a winning road trip.

Statistically, other highlights for the Rockets included:

Alperen Sengun: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists; 5-of-16 shooting (31.3%), 7-of-9 on free throws (77.8%)
Dillon Brooks: 17 points, 4 rebounds; 6-of-15 shooting (40.0%), 2-of-9 on 3-pointers (22.2%)
Jabari Smith Jr.: 14 points, 6 rebounds; 5-for-10 shooting (50.0%), 3-for-4 on free throws (75.0%)
Tari Eason: 15 points, 4 rebounds in 19 minutes; 6-of-10 shooting (60.0%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%)
Amen Thompson: 10 points, 4 rebounds in 18 minutes; 4-of-5 shots (80.0%)

The Rockets outscored the Mavericks 50-37, including an impressive 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Game highlights from Halloween night are available below.

With the road trip complete, Houston now begins a three-game homestand when Western rival Golden State visits Toyota Center on Saturday. Rockets-Warriors tipoff is at 7:00 PM Central.