Overview
- Thompson finished with 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, including an alley-oop that put Houston up four inside two minutes.
- Key closing plays swung it: Alperen Şengün’s layup with 28.6 seconds left and Tari Eason’s dunk at 14.4 seconds followed a missed shot in the lane by Cooper Flagg, who then missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
- Flagg led Dallas with 34 points and 12 rebounds, marking his fifth 30-point game two days after his record 49-point performance as a teenager.
- Jabari Smith Jr. added 19 for Houston, Şengün had 14 points and 14 boards, and Kevin Durant hit a late jumper during the Mavericks’ rally.
- The nationally televised matchup on ABC featured depleted rotations, with Houston without Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams and Dallas missing Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.