HOUSTON (AP) — Luka Doncic scored a season-high 50 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks held on to beat the Houston Rockets 112-106 on Friday night.
Doncic, who also had 10 assists and eight rebounds, was 17 of 30 from the field, including 6 of 12 on 3-pointers. It was Doncic’s second career 50-point game. He scored a career-high 51 against the Clippers on Feb. 10, 2022.
Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans each scored 11 points for Dallas, which shot 45% and made 16 of 44 3s.
Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Green added 23 points and eight rebounds, and Alperen Sengun had 19 points and eight rebounds for Houston, which lost its fifth straight.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 14 points, and Kenyon Martin Jr. had 10 for the Rockets, who shot 46%.
Tied at 94 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining, the Mavs used an 11-3 run to open up an eight-point lead on a 3-pointer by Doncic, who blew a kiss to the crowd. The Rockets responded with seven straight points to cut the lead to 105-104 on Sengun’s layup with 3:13 left.
After Bertans hit a 3 to up the lead to four, Smith cut the lead to two with a jumper with a 1 ½ minutes remaining. The two teams traded turnovers and missed shots before Doncic nailed a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to give the Mavs a five-point lead.
Houston erased a 16-point, second-quarter deficit, outscoring the Mavs 33-15 over a nine-minute span of the second and third quarters to take a 69-67 lead on a 3-pointer by Smith with 6:15 remaining in the third.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dorian Finney-Smith missed his second straight game with a right adductor strain. … Kemba Walker was out of the lineup Friday night due to left knee injury recovery. … Reggie Bullock left the game in the third quarter with a neck strain.
Rockets: Garrison Mathews (illness) returned to the lineup on Friday after missing the last three games. He was scoreless in 12 minutes. … Jae’Sean Tate (ankle) could return soon, coach Stephen Silas said. “I don’t have a timetable, days or whatever, but it looks like it’s getting closer to days than weeks,” Silas said. … Eric Gordon was out of the lineup Friday with a bruised left thumb.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host the Lakers on Sunday to begin a three-game homestand.
Rockets: At Chicago on Monday to start a three-game road trip.
