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Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points apiece as the Houston Rockets opened the 2026-27 NBA season with a 128-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Houston broke the game open with a dominant second quarter, outscoring Dallas 38-12 to take a 32-point halftime lead at Toyota Center.
The Rockets led 32-26 after the first quarter before pulling away. Durant and Smith each scored 16 points in the first half, helping Houston turn a 15-point advantage midway through the second quarter into a 70-38 lead at the break. A 19-2 run fueled the decisive stretch.
Durant finished 10-for-16 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, and made eight of his 11 free throws. Smith shot 11-for-17 overall and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds.
Alperen Sengun contributed 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Amen Thompson recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. Fred VanVleet had six points and 11 assists in his return to regular-season action after missing the previous season while recovering from a torn ACL.
Dallas responded after halftime, scoring 38 points in the third quarter and cutting the deficit to 17 when a 9-0 run made it 103-86 with about nine minutes remaining. Marcus Sasser scored six points during that stretch. Houston quickly restored control, however, using an 8-2 run featuring three-pointers from Durant and VanVleet to extend its lead to 111-88.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 32 points on 10-for-17 shooting, adding 11-for-13 free-throw shooting, five rebounds and three steals. Kyrie Irving scored 15 points in his first regular-season game since tearing his left ACL in March 2025.
P.J. Washington added 10 points for Dallas, while Sasser contributed 17 points off the bench on 6-for-8 shooting, including four three-pointers. The Mavericks shot 52% from the field but were unable to overcome their second-quarter collapse.
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The game also marked a difficult start for new Dallas head coach Dusty May, who joined the Mavericks after leading Michigan to the NCAA championship. Houston forward Tari Eason was ejected with about three minutes remaining in the first quarter after receiving a flagrant foul 2 for shoving Washington to the court.
The Mavericks visit Indiana on Friday, while Houston faces San Antonio in Austin, Texas, that night.
