Marcus Smart scores 20, but Mavericks defeat Rockets 132-115

Mavericks win behind 17-point game from Irving

Twenty points from Marcus Smart were not enough for the Houston Rockets, who fell to the Dallas Mavericks 132-115 in a preseason game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, at Venetian Arena in Macao. Kyrie Irving scored 17 points for Dallas.

Dallas led after every quarter of a high-scoring game. The Mavericks led 28-27 after one quarter, then extended the margin with a 30-24 second period to take a 58-51 lead into halftime.

Dallas builds on halftime edge

The Rockets opened the third quarter by narrowing the gap with six straight points and moved in front 66-64 during the period, but Dallas answered before the quarter ended. The Mavericks outscored the Rockets 37-34 in the third and carried a 95-85 lead into the fourth.

Dallas then added another 37 points in the final period while Houston scored 30. The Mavericks reached a 16-point lead at 121-105 and finished with a 132-115 margin. Houston was the designated home team for the NBA China Game, with attendance listed at 11,711.

Contributors on both sides

Smart led the Rockets in scoring with 20 points, and Reed Sheppard added 17. Amen Thompson recorded six assists, while Jabari Smith Jr. had nine rebounds for Houston.

For Dallas, Zaccharie Risacher scored 16 points behind Irving, Cooper Flagg had seven assists and Sergio de Larrea grabbed seven rebounds. The Mavericks' scoring was spread across each quarter, with 28 points in the first, 30 in the second, 37 in the third and 37 in the fourth.

Records

Houston won the first game between the teams in Macao 135-117, so the clubs split the two-game series and both stand 1-1 in the preseason.

Sources

ESPN