The Mavericks were down 11 to Houston and beat the Rockets 116-111 behind 35 from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg. At 4-2 with three straight wins, Dallas is on a 55-27 pace and could get Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama back for the Kings.
Forty in the Fourth
Houston won the second quarter 31-17 and led by as many as 11. Dallas took the fourth 40-27, and Irving's shooting decided it: 12-19 from the field, 5-8 from deep and 6-6 at the stripe. Flagg went 13-19 but 0-4 from three, so his 33 came at the rim and the line. Down 111-113 with three seconds left, Amen Thompson missed his second free throw after a lane violation. An away-from-play foul then gave Flagg one free throw, and Irving made two more to end it. Mavs.com reported that Ime Udoka called Irving the best offensive player he has seen one-on-one.
Gafford Owned the Paint
With Lively and Aldama out, Daniel Gafford scored 18 on 6-7 shooting with seven boards, two blocks and a +10. P.J. Washington went 1-8 but pulled down 10 rebounds. The bench scored 25, and Caleb Martin was +7 in 25 minutes without a turnover. Martin, Flagg, Gafford, Washington and Zaccharie Risacher played most of the last five minutes.
Sacramento Next, Bigs Maybe Back
Dallas has three days off before hosting the Kings on November 2, then plays at San Antonio on November 4. Lively, Aldama and Tarik Biberovic all have an estimated return of November 2, and Sergio de Larrea's is November 4. The open question: once Lively and Aldama return, does Gafford keep the minutes he just made the most of?
Who led the Mavericks in the 116-111 win over the Rockets?
Kyrie Irving scored 35 with nine assists, and Cooper Flagg added 33 with nine rebounds. Irving scored 16 of Dallas' 40 fourth-quarter points.
When are Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama expected back?
Both have an estimated return of November 2, the date of the home game against the Kings. Sergio de Larrea's estimated return is November 4 at San Antonio.
