Tari Eason scores 20 as Rockets beat Mavericks 135-117

Eason leads Houston

Tari Eason scored 20 points, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-117 on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Venetian Arena. Alperen Sengun added 10 assists and 10 rebounds for Houston, which improved to 1-0. Dallas is 0-1.

Houston also received a fast start from Fred VanVleet, who scored the Rockets’ first nine points on three consecutive 3-pointers. The Rockets led 27-19 after the opening quarter, with Dallas playing at home before an announced attendance of 11,564.

Rockets extend the margin

Houston pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring Dallas 38-26. The Rockets carried a 65-45 advantage into halftime after building a 20-point lead. Eason contributed a 25-foot 3-pointer late in the second quarter, while Sengun added a layup, dunk and two free throws during the period.

Cooper Flagg led Dallas’ scoring with 19 points. He scored four points early in the second quarter to help the Mavericks cut the deficit to 27-23, but Houston answered with a 13-0 run in the scoring sequence that followed, moving ahead 40-23. Dallas also got eight assists from Dwight Powell and eight rebounds from Zaccharie Risacher.

Dallas makes a late push

The Mavericks scored 35 points in the third quarter, but Houston still held a 99-80 lead entering the fourth. The Rockets scored 36 points in the final period, and Dallas scored 37. Houston reached 135 points on a 23-foot 3-pointer by Bruce Thornton before Sergio de Larrea closed the scoring with a layup for Dallas.

Reed Sheppard made three 3-pointers in the third quarter for Houston, and Kevin Durant made a 25-foot 3-pointer during the period. Dallas’ fourth-quarter scoring included three 3-pointers by Jett Howard and a 23-foot 3-pointer by Sergio de Larrea.

Records

The result left the Rockets at 1-0 and the Mavericks at 0-1.

Sources

ESPN