Tari Eason Scores 20 as Rockets Defeat Mavericks 135-117

Rockets Take Control

Tari Eason scored 20 points, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135-117 on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at Venetian Arena. Houston, the visiting team, opened the game with a 27-19 lead and expanded its advantage through the second quarter.

Fred VanVleet made Houston's first three shots, all from beyond the arc, as the Rockets began with a 9-0 run. Dallas answered with a 3-pointer from Max Christie and baskets from Cooper Flagg and Daniel Gafford, but Houston carried a 27-19 advantage into the second quarter.

Second-Quarter Separation

The Rockets outscored the Mavericks 38-26 in the second period. Houston extended its lead to 42-26 after Alperen Sengun's dunk, then continued to add to the margin behind baskets from Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and others.

Flagg scored twice during an early Dallas push and later added a 3-pointer, but Houston maintained control. Tari Eason's 3-pointer closed the half's scoring and gave the Rockets a 65-45 lead at halftime.

Dallas Trims the Margin

Dallas scored 35 points in the third quarter, but Houston added 34 and still led 99-80 entering the final period. The Mavericks received multiple 3-pointers from Max Christie, along with scoring from Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberovic.

Houston continued to answer with perimeter shooting from VanVleet, Reed Sheppard and Durant. The Rockets then opened the fourth quarter with a 12-3 run, including two baskets and three free throws from Eason, to push the lead to 111-83.

Numbers and Records

Flagg led Dallas with 19 points. Dwight Powell had eight assists, while Risacher recorded eight rebounds. For Houston, Sengun had 10 assists and 10 rebounds in addition to Eason's 20 points.

The Mavericks scored 37 points in the fourth quarter, but Houston finished with a 36-37-34-36 quarter sequence against Dallas' 19-26-35-37. Attendance at Venetian Arena was 11,564. The Rockets moved to 1-0, while the Mavericks fell to 0-1.

Sources

ESPN