Mavericks Pull Away From Rockets 132-115 as Marcus Smart Scores 20

Dallas Holds Off Houston

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 132-115 in a preseason game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, at Venetian Arena in Macao. Marcus Smart scored 20 points for Houston, while Kyrie Irving scored 17 for Dallas. The Rockets were the designated home team for the NBA China Game, played before an announced attendance of 11,711.

Dallas led 28-27 after the first quarter and extended the margin in the second. The Mavericks outscored Houston 30-24 in that period to take a 58-51 advantage into halftime, then won the third quarter 37-34 for a 10-point lead, 95-85, entering the fourth.

Quarter-by-Quarter Progression

Houston opened the second half with points from Smart, Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson's 23-foot 3-pointer put the Rockets ahead 66-64 in the third quarter. Dallas answered with Zaccharie Risacher's tip-in dunk, and the lead changed hands several times before the Mavericks pulled away late in the period to finish it ahead 95-85.

Dallas then scored 37 points in the fourth quarter while Houston scored 30. The Rockets moved within 97-91 early in the period after a 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic, but the Mavericks answered with baskets from Naji Marshall and Risacher.

Dallas stretched the lead to 114-103 on Tarik Biberovic's 25-foot 3-pointer and reached 132 points before Oscar Tshiebwe's 10-foot floating jump shot produced Houston's last points.

Key Contributions and Records

Smart's 20 points led Houston, and Sheppard added 17. Thompson contributed six assists, and Smith had nine rebounds for the Rockets. For Dallas, Risacher scored 16 points behind Irving, Cooper Flagg had seven assists and Sergio de Larrea collected seven rebounds.

Houston won the first of the two Macao games 135-117, so both teams are 1-1 in the preseason.

Sources

ESPN