Mavs Win Home Opener Over Rockets
|The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 116-106 Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center.
Luka Dončić recorded 26 points to go with a season-high 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Dončić also had a game-high +15 rating on the night. Jalen Brunson recorded a career-high-tying 11 assists (third time) to go with 11 points off the bench. The game marked the 7th double-double of his career, and Brunson’s 5th game with double-digit points and assists.
Boban Marjanović came off the bench and recorded 11 points and 4 rebounds in only 9 minutes of play. Marjanović moved into a tie (Freddie Crawford) for third place all-time for the most times scoring 10-or-more points when on the court for under 11 minutes. The only players ahead of him are Clyde Lovellette and JaVale McGee.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (6-12 FG) and Reggie Bullock (6-11 FG, 4-7 3FG) each added 16 points for the Mavericks.
Kristaps Porzingis recorded 9 points and 3 rebounds before leaving the game in the third quarter with low back tightness.
The Mavericks had 52 points from the bench unit, their most of the season. By comparison, Dallas only had 52+ bench points on five occasions last season.
Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 22 points (7-11 FG, 3-5 3FG) off the bench. Gordon now has 15+ points in 3 of Houston’s 4 games this season.
Daniel Theis (15), Kevin Porter Jr. (13) and Jalen Green (10) all added double-figure scoring nights for Houston.