The Houston Rockets had this one in hand late in the third quarter. Then the Dallas Mavericks hit the accelerator, ripped away the momentum, and walked out with a 116-111 NBA Cup win that handed Houston its first loss of the 2026-27 regular season.
Dallas improved to 4-2 and stretched its winning streak to three games, fueled by a huge finishing kick from Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg. The pair combined for 68 points, and when the game got tight, they were the ones who owned the moment.
Irving was the engine of the comeback. He finished with 35 points, four rebounds and nine assists, shooting 12-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from three.
Sixteen of those points came in the fourth quarter, where Dallas completely flipped the script. Flagg wasn’t far behind, posting 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists, with 11 of his own in the final period.
He put the game away with less than 30 seconds left.
That closing surge helped the Mavericks win the fourth quarter 40-27 and erase an 11-point Houston lead from earlier in the third.
Dallas also got timely support from the rest of the roster, especially from beyond the arc. The Mavericks went 12-for-33 from three, while the Rockets struggled to keep pace at 7-for-29. Zaccharie Risacher and Caleb Martin gave Dallas exactly the kind of perimeter lift that matters when defenses load up on the stars, with Risacher going 3-for-6 from deep and Martin knocking down 2-for-3.
The paint told a similar story. With Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams out, Houston didn’t have enough size to keep Daniel Gafford from making an impact.
He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 6-for-7 shooting. Eight of those points came in the fourth quarter, and his work on the offensive glass helped Dallas protect its lead when the Rockets were trying to claw back.
Houston also left points at the line. Kevin Durant scored 28 points, added five rebounds and one assist, and led the Rockets in scoring, but he missed four free throws as Houston finished with nine misses from the stripe overall. Durant shot 9-for-20 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three.
The loss doesn’t define Houston’s season, but it did expose two problems Dallas was ready to punish: shaky perimeter shooting and late-game execution. The teams are scheduled to meet at least two more times in the regular season this January, including on New Year’s Day 2027, when the Mavericks will get another chance to prove this wasn’t a one-night burst.
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