Kevin Porter Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the last-place Houston Rockets took advantage of Luka Doncic’s absence in a 101-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Doncic was out for rest a night after he played 40 minutes to help prevent the Mavericks from blowing a 25-point lead in a two-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Christian Wood, traded to Dallas in the offseason after blossoming from a journeyman into a 20-point scorer for the Rockets, scored 26 points in his first game against his former team.
The Rockets, who came in with the NBA’s worst record, recorded 19 blocks — one off the franchise record and their most since December 1983 — and held the Mavericks to season-low 30% shooting.
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Alperen Sengun, a 20-year-old from Turkey, had a career-high five blocks to go with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Jalen Green scored 17 points as the Rockets won for just the third time while ending a three-game losing streak. Houston ended a four-game skid against its Texas rival.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 28 points for Dallas, but the Mavericks didn’t have any starters in double figures in the first missed game of the season for Doncic.
Dallas Mavericks
The Rockets went in front for good on free throws by Jabari Smith Jr. midway through the fourth quarter, when the Mavericks shot 21% and made 1 of 17 from 3-point range. Dallas was 12 of 55 overall from deep.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Kenyon Martin Jr. was called for a flagrant foul in the first quarter when his left knee hit Dwight Powell in the face as Martin hung on the rim after a dunk. ... Usman Garuba scored a career-high 12 points and was 2 of 2 from 3, improving to 6 of 7 from long range this season.
Mavericks: G Josh Green replaced Doncic in his first start of the season, scoring four points in 17 minutes. ... F Davis Bertans hit a 3-pointer less than a minute into his season debut at the start of the second quarter. He has been out with a right knee injury. Those were his only points.
UP NEXT
Rockets: A four-game homestand starts Friday against Indiana. The Pacers are on their longest winning streak in the series at five games after losing the previous five.
Mavericks: The first of consecutive home games against Denver is Friday. The back end Sunday will finish a stretch of four home games in six nights.
