Rockets 111, Mavs 107: Houston enters February with momentum
The Rockets began January with a 3-5 record in their first eight games, and that included a winless road trip in Portland (twice) and Sacramento.
But after finishing with seven wins in nine games, Houston (30-17) enters February at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings.
Late Saturday, ClutchFans Editor Dave Hardisty teamed up with Ben DuBose (USA TODAY’s Rockets Wire) to recap the ABC primetime showdown. That video is available to watch here, as are postgame notes issued by the team.
Topics on the show include recent improvements from both Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., with the latter on a clearly upward trajectory in late January.
Rockets Postgame Notes (box score)
— With the win, the Rockets split the season series versus the Mavs, 2-2. Houston closed out January by winning seven of its final nine games, while Dallas has lost a season-high tying four straight. The Mavericks had previously won a season-high four in a row.
— Houston held Dallas to 107 points and improved to 21-1 when allowing fewer than 110 points this season. The Rockets held opponents to 106.4 points per game in 17 January games, down from 112.0 points in the first 30 games of the season.
— The Rockets won despite shooting 41.7% from the floor. Houston has won three of its past four games while shooting below 45.0%, all after having just three previous wins (in 2025-26) when doing so. The Rockets had 108 shot attempts, tying for their second-highest total in a non-overtime game going back to 1986-87.
— Houston had a season-high tying 33 assists with a season-low 6 turnovers. The Rockets are averaging 27.3 assists over the past seven games after averaging 20.8 the eight games prior. Houston has recorded 12 or fewer turnovers in consecutive games for the second time this season (Nov. 12-Nov. 14).
— Six Rockets scored in double-figures, including all five starters. The last time Houston’s entire starting lineup scored 10+ points was in Brooklyn on Jan. 1.
— Amen Thompson had 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. He has scored 20+ points in two of the past three games and 20 times overall this season, all after doing so 18 times in his first two seasons, combined. For the month of January, Thompson averaged 18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.71 steals per game. [Video Highlights]
— Tari Eason had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He has scored 15+ points in five of his 10 games played this month after doing so five times his first 16 games played this season (the Rockets went 7-3 in those games). Eason has recorded 2+ steals in each of his past four games played, marking his longest streak since a five-game span in November 2024. [Video Highlights]
— Josh Okogie had 13 points, 5 rebounds, a steal, and a block off the bench while shooting 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He has scored in double-figures in each of the past two games after not scoring 10+ in any of the 21 previous games. From 3-point range, Okogie has hit 10 treys on 47.6% shooting over the past seven games, and he is shooting a career-high 39.3% this season. [Video Highlights]
— Cooper Flagg had a game-high 34 points along with a career-high 12 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored a career-high 49 points in the Mavs’ last game versus Charlotte on Jan. 29. Dating back to 1996-97, Flagg’s 83 points is the third-highest two-game total by a rookie. He is the fourth different Dallas rookie to have scored 30+ points in consecutive games (Mark Aguirre, Luka Dončić, Jay Vincent).
Houston resumes play Monday at Indiana (13-36), and our ClutchFans Live postgame show will react to both that night’s action and the in-season trade deadline of Thursday, February 5. Chron.com’s Michael Shapiro will be our featured guest, so tune in!
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