Rockets defeat the Mavericks, 110-99. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
Alperen Sengun had 23 points, Jalen Green added 22 and the Houston Rockets built a big lead early in the second half and sailed to a 110-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Dillon Brooks had 19 points and Cam Whitmore added 18 to help the Rockets get back on track after dropping two straight.
The Mavericks led by four midway through the second quarter before Houston used a 21-8 run to take a 61-52 lead into halftime. Green made eight points in that stretch and Whitmore added two 3-pointers.
The Rockets then opened the second half with an 11-4 spurt that pushed it to 72-56 with nine minutes left in the third.
Houston was up by 14 entering the fourth and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the quarter.
Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Klay Thompson (illness) and Dereck Lively II (hip) returned after sitting out Monday. But Naji Marshall remained out serving a four-game suspension for his role in a fight against the Suns.
Quentin Grimes led the Mavericks with 17 points off the bench. Thompson and Irving added 16 each.
Takeaways
Mavericks: Lost for the third time in four games playing without Luka Doncic, who strained his calf on Christmas Day. They’ll need to find a way to win without the star, who will be out at least a month.
Rockets: Didn’t miss a beat without the bench scoring of Amen Thompson, who served the first of a two-game suspension for a fight with Miami’s Tyler Herro Sunday night.
Key moment
Houston’s 32-12 run to end the first half and start the second half.
Key stat
Houston’s victory was helped by making 18 of 23 free throws compared to just 8 of 16 by Dallas.
Up next
Both teams are back in action Friday night. Dallas hosts Cleveland, and Houston hosts Boston.
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C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown Sunday on the Texans' opening drive before going to the bench as Houston snapped a two-game skid going into the AFC playoffs with a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The Texans (10-7) also avoided being swept by the team they replaced in Houston. The Texans won for the first time since clinching their second straight AFC South title Dec. 15 with a win over Miami.
Now Houston waits to see if the Texans are hosting either the Los Angeles Chargers, who played at the Raiders later Sunday, or Pittsburgh in an AFC wild-card game.
With the loss combined with New England's win over Buffalo, the Titans ' season of misery at least landed them the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft in April. Their 3-14 finish matches 2014 for the most losses in a season since relocating from Texas to Tennessee in 1997.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he would decide how long his starters played based on how the game went.
Stroud needed 11 plays and 7:17 on a drive capped with a 2-yard TD pass to Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins for a lead Houston never lost.
Joe Mixon had five carries on that opening drive, then his day was done. Mixon turned cheerleader running down the sideline with a ballcap as Dameon Pierce took his second carry 92 yards for his second rushing TD of the season early in the second quarter for a 13-0 lead.
Pierce finished with a career-high 176 yards rushing. Mixon had 23 yards and surpassed 1,000 for the season.
One of the biggest cheers from the thin crowd on a rainy, cold day came when former University of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton's 48-yard TD pass putting the Patriots up 14-7 was shown on the video board.
Ka’imi Fairbairn finished the first half with a 27-yard field goal putting the Texans up 16-3.
Tennessee gave second-year quarterback Will Levis his 12th start this season. First-year coach Brian Callahan kept his promise to rotate, putting in veteran Mason Rudolph on the fourth possession. Rudolph guided the Titans to a pair of field goals by Matthew Wright.
Levis had the better day despite a botched handoff returned for a fumble. He finished with 175 yards passing and a 49-yard TD pass to Tay Martin with 2:41 left.
Big man TD
Defensive end Derek Barnett got the ball on a botched handoff by Levis to Tony Pollard early in the fourth and went 36 yards for the TD and a 23-6 lead. It was Barnett's second such return for a TD this season and third of his career.
Barnett not only played in college at Tennessee, he played high school ball at a Nashville suburb.
Injuries
Texans WR John Metchie was being evaluated in the concussion protocol after being hurt on an incompletion late in the third quarter that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. LB Jake Hansen hurt an ankle
Titans TE Chig Okonkwo aggravated an abdominal injury that had him on the injury report in the first quarter.
Up next
Houston play either the Chargers or Steelers trying to win a second straight wild-card game.
Tennessee goes into the offseason losers of six straight and eight of nine under Callahan. Now controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk has to decide what changes might be needed for a franchise building a $2.2 billion enclosed stadium next door set to open in 2027.
*Don't miss the video below as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the win on YouTube.