For the second time in under a week, All-Star guard and perennial NBA MVP candidate Luka Doncic was simply too much for the Rockets to handle as the host Mavericks won convincingly on Thursday, 129-114 (box score). Dallas (20-16) has now won five straight games, while Houston (10-25) has dropped seven of eight.
Coming off his historic 60-point triple-double earlier this week, Doncic put up 35 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes. He made 11-of-21 shots (52.4%) and 4-of-9 on 3-pointers (44.4%).
After scoring a career-high 24 points versus Dallas in last Friday’s meeting between the same teams in Houston, Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr. continued to excel in mid-range areas, scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%) inside the 3-point arc. He also, however, continued to struggle from 3-point range, going 0-for-4 from deep.
Smith entered shooting just 22.0% on 3-pointers over his last seven outings on an average of 5.9 attempts per game.
Jalen Green led Houston with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting (46.7%), going 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%). Former Rockets center Christian Wood was one of several Dallas big men who routinely outhustled his Houston peers up and down the floor Thursday, scoring 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3%) while making 5-of-8 from 3-point range (62.5%). He also grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.
Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interview reaction from American Airlines Center. Houston now returns home for four of its next five games, starting with a New Year’s Eve date versus the New York Knicks. Tipoff from Toyota Center is at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Highlights
Analysis and Interviews
Doncic and Wood with consecutive 3s, Doncic pointing at Garuba and shaking his head to say Garuba has no chance and Wood turning and staring at the Rockets bench. Mavericks by 21.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 30, 2022
Fast break points
Mavericks 25
Rockets 0Mavs averaged 9.9 fast break points per game entering tonight, fewest in the league
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 30, 2022
Nice to the #Rockets going back to Jabari in the mid-post 1.5 hours after he cooked in the first quarter.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 30, 2022
Jabari Smith Jr scored 14 points in the first quarter, 2 points in the second quarter and 0 points after that
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) December 30, 2022
Luka’s last five games 👀
🪄25 PTS | 9 REB | 10 AST
🪄50 PTS | 8 REB | 10 AST
🪄32 PTS | 9 REB | 9 AST
🪄60 PTS | 21 REB | 10 AST
🪄35 PTS | 12 REB | 13 AST
🪄5 W’sUnreal run 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3lLulm8yhJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 30, 2022
Boban has more post-ups tonight than Alperen Sengun
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) December 30, 2022
— Paulo Alves (@PauloAlvesNBA) December 30, 2022
The @dallasmavs crowd going crazy for @BobanMarjanovic's bucket in his return to Dallas! pic.twitter.com/37B13U6bpq
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2022
They still love @BobanMarjanovic in Dallas ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2UBGHtwF04
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) December 30, 2022
#Rockets fall to the Mavs 129-114
Next up for the @HoustonRockets the New York Knicks on NYE pic.twitter.com/S38Z22FWz9
— AT&T SportsNet™ | SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) December 30, 2022
