This was a bit of an early season proving game for the Houston Rockets, as they were on the road against rival and Western Conference contender Dallas Mavericks, and the Rockets took advantage of the opportunity for a 108-102 win.

Houston got off to a fast start and then withstood a Dallas comeback thanks to the strength of their defense and rebounding. The winning Rockets won the board battle in this one, with a 50-37 lead, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Houston’s offense wasn’t great as they shot just 41.2 percent as a team, with Jabari Smith Jr. was the only starter to shoot 50 percent or better, while the Rockets also shot just 8-for-34 from deep.

And while the Rockets’ defense allowed Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to score 29 and 28 points, respectively, no other Maverick scored in double figures other than Klay Thompson, who had 12 on just 2-for-9 shooting from deep.

As for the Rockets, they were once again led by Jalen Green, who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He hasn’t been incredibly efficient, going just 9-for-21 from the field and 3-for-8 from deep, but he continues to show that he’s earned his new extension so far this season.

Houston also got 17 points, 12 boards and 4 assists from Alperen Sengun. However, he went just 5-for-16 from the field as Alpie continues to try to find his feet this year.

Dillon Brooks also had 17, but he went just 6-for-15 from the field and 2-for-9 from deep. However, he brought a spark with some Dillon the Villain stuff. Tari Eason had 15 off the bench on 6-for-10 shooting as he continues to make a case for himself, while Jabari Smith finished with 14 points and 6 boards on 5-for-10 shooting from the field. However, he was just 1-for-5 from deep. Amen Thompson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 on 4-for-5 shooting.

Fred VanVleet laid another egg for the Rockets, playing 39 minutes but scoring just 4 points on 2-for-13 shooting from the field and 0-for-7 shooting from deep. He also only had 4 assists. Fred’s averaging just 12.6 points and 5.8 assists on 30 percent shooting so far this season. It’s pretty early, but those aren’t the kind of numbers that would make a GM pick up your $44 million team option.

But that’s a conversation for another day. For now, you can take solace in the fact that the Rockets are coming off back-to-back wins against fellow Texans, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, both on the road, and they appear to be coming into their own, especially on defense.

They will be back in action on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.