Mavericks hand Rockets season’s first loss in 116-111 comedy of errors

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 21: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets and Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks look on during the game on October 21, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

So…

Maybe the Rockets should trade for Kyrie Irving.

Joking- kind of. But the Rockets are no longer undefeated, and Irving was one of the primary reasons why.

He had 33 points on 12/19 shooting from the field in the Mavericks’ 114-111 victory over the Rockets. For parts of this game, Cooper Flagg was the Mavericks’ best player. He got them off on the right foot with 10 points on 5/5 shooting halfway through the first quarter. In the end, he finished with 32 points on 13/19 shooting from the field. The Rockets were unable to contend with Dallas’ dynamic duo:

Which, really, is nothing to worry about.

How many free throws does Kevin Durant miss in an average season? After missing four tonight, he’s on pace to comfortably exceed his quota.

Two missed freebies down the stretch may have sealed this one. The Mavericks pushed the pace off the rebound and got a momentum-changing basket. That was a fairly large variable in a close loss.

So were Clint Capela’s pair of goaltending violations. The mind remembers what the body forgets. Capela doesn’t have the same bounce that he’s accustomed to, and he’s going to have to remember that when timing his block attempts.

Kevin Durant (26 points, 9/20 from the field) was the Rockets’ best player, but shoutout to Jabari Smith Jr. He had 22 points on 7/15 shooting from the field and 3/7 shooting from downtown, but those points came in bunches. At times, it felt like Smith Jr. was taking over. He had a great game, but when this was your team’s best performance, there’s a strong chance you lost the game.

Above all else, the Rockets missed Sengun in this one. The offense felt far less dynamic without him. The Rockets had a hard time getting easy looks in the half-court.

That’s exactly why this game isn’t a major concern: Sengun will be back. He doesn’t have a major injury.

Moreover, the Mavericks have been playing well. This is a good team that the Rockets shouldn’t be expected to beat without one of their two or three best players.

But still, everything went wrong. Amen Thompson’s lane violation. I don’t wish to say anymore. The missed Durant free throws, the goaltending: It was an absurd game on the Rockets’ end.

If they were going to win, it was going to be on the back of their offensive rebounding. The Rockets got back to their 2025-26 ways on the glass with 20 offensive boards. It kept them in the game, but it wasn’t enough. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier, as the Rockets play the Thunder tomorrow night:

Sengun’s status is uncertain as of this writing.