Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg Hand Rockets First Loss in NBA Cup Opener
Irving scored 35 and Flagg 33 as Dallas erased an eight-point deficit with a 40-point fourth quarter to beat Houston 116-111.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, Cooper Flagg added 33 and the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 116-111 on Friday night, ending Houston's perfect start, according to AP via ESPN. It was an NBA Cup Group A game at American Airlines Center, and it moved Dallas to 4-2 while Houston fell to 5-1, per Mavs Moneyball.
The fourth quarter flipped it
Houston led 84-76 heading into the final period. Then Dallas outscored the Rockets 40-27 in the fourth, per NBA.com. Irving and Flagg combined for 27 of those points, which Dallas Sports Journal breaks down as 16 for Irving and 11 for Flagg.
Irving finished 12-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three, according to AP via the Press Herald. Dallas Sports Journal reports that 26 of his 35 points came after halftime.
Flagg's night, and the Durant duel
Flagg's line was 33 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists on 13-of-19 shooting, plus 7-of-10 at the line, 2 steals and a block, according to Dallas Sports Journal. He went 0-for-4 from three, per 92.9 The Ticket.
Durant had a strong night too, finishing with 28 points on 9-of-20 shooting and 9-of-13 at the line, per Dallas Sports Journal. The free-throw line was where it got costly. AP reports that Durant, a career 88% free-throw shooter, missed a pair with Houston down two and 1:53 remaining.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 for Houston, Fred VanVleet had 16 and Amen Thompson 15, according to TSN.
What it means for Dallas
This was a reversal from the season opener, which Houston won in Houston. ESPN's matchup box lists that game at 128-110, and Durant and Smith each scored 30, per Yahoo/Mavs Moneyball. It was also the second straight home game against an undefeated team, and as with Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Dallas handed that team its first loss, according to NBA.com.
The Mavericks have won three straight. Dallas Sports Journal notes that being two games above .500 is a first for the franchise since March 3, 2025, the night Irving tore the ACL in his left knee.
Sources
- Mavericks 116-111 Rockets (Oct 30, 2026) Game Recap - ESPN (espn.com)
- Final Five: Breaking down the clutch minutes of the Mavericks’ 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets (mavsmoneyball.com)
- Four huge swings from the Mavericks’ thrilling 116-111 NBA Cup win over the Houston Rockets (mavsmoneyball.com)
- Mavericks deal Rockets their first loss with monster efforts from Flagg, Irving (nba.com)
- Mavericks Top Rockets 116-111 Behind Irving 35, Flagg 33 (dallassportsjournal.com)
- Cooper Flagg Led Dallas Past Houston With 33 Points, Ending The Rockets' Perfect Start (929theticket.com)
- Cooper Flagg scores 33 points as Mavs hand Rockets their first loss (pressherald.com)
- Kyrie Irving scores 35 and Cooper Flagg adds 33 as Dallas Mavericks hand Houston Rockets first loss of season (tsn.ca)
- Stats Rundown: 3 numbers to know from the Mavericks’ cathartic 116-111 NBA Cup win over the Rockets - Yahoo Sports (sports.yahoo.com)
