Houston opened 2026-27 by beating Dallas 128-110 as Kevin Durant and Smith Jr. scored 30 apiece. Steven Adams was upgraded from out Thursday and carries an estimated return of Oct. 23, the night the Rockets visit San Antonio.
Last season
The baseline is 52-30, with 117.5 points scored and 112.1 allowed per 100 possessions, a plus-5.4 margin at a deliberate 97.0 pace. Smith Jr. averaged 15.8 points and hit 36.3 percent from three; Durant averaged 26.0 at 41.3 percent. The year ended in the first round against the Lakers, after Houston forced a Game 6 from 3-0 down.
Oct. 21
Dallas led by as many as five, and then the game was over by halftime. Houston won the second quarter 38-12, went to the break up 70-38 and stretched the margin to 37. Smith Jr. went 11 of 17 with four threes and finished +18. Durant shot 10 of 16 for his 30. Alperen Sengun had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes, and his +23 was the best of the night.
The supporting cast
Fred VanVleet shot 2 of 8 but ran the offense: 11 assists, three steals, zero turnovers, +19. Marcus Smart added 10 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting. Amen Thompson posted 16 points and 10 rebounds. On the other side, Cooper Flagg scored 32, 11 of them at the line, and still finished -6. P.J. Washington was -27.
Oct. 22
Houston sits third in the West at 1-0 after the opening-night results settled. Adams, listed out with a right calf issue on Wednesday, was upgraded Thursday. Julian Phillips is cleared after an illness listing. The Dream Shake reported that the team gave an update on VanVleet and Adams for back-to-backs, which matters with two games in two nights coming up.
Oct. 23-28
The schedule tightens right away: Friday at San Antonio on Prime Video, Saturday at Atlanta, the Hawks again in Houston on Oct. 26, then Milwaukee on Oct. 28. The open question is shot profile. Smith Jr. took eight threes in the opener. If that volume holds at last season's 36.3 percent, the spacing around Sengun and Durant gets a lot wider.
Who led the Rockets in scoring against the Mavericks?
Kevin Durant and Smith Jr. each scored 30 in the 128-110 win. Alperen Sengun added 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Will Steven Adams play against the Spurs?
Adams was upgraded from out on Oct. 22 with a right calf issue. His estimated return date is Oct. 23, the night of the Spurs game.
