Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks Match Player Stats (March 14, 2025)
The Toyota Center rocked Friday night as the Houston Rockets dismantled the Dallas Mavericks 133-96 in a Texas rivalry game that quickly turned into a beatdown.
Table of Contents
Game Flow: Rockets Turn Close Game Into Laugher
First quarter kept things interesting, with Houston grabbing a slim 27-25 lead.
Second quarter saw the Rockets find their groove, outscoring Dallas 35-24 to build a 62-49 halftime advantage.
Third quarter? All Houston. They poured in 37 points while holding Dallas to just 21, ballooning the lead to 99-70.
CBS Sports reported on a key stretch: “Already leading by 16 points, the Rockets orchestrated a 7-0 run to extend their advantage to 80-57 midway through the quarter.”
Shortly after, Houston ripped off another 10-0 run, pushing the score to 96-65.
Fourth quarter became extended garbage time. Houston reserves still outscored Dallas 34-26 for the final 133-96 margin.
Previous Matchups: Turning Point in Season Series
This blowout looked nothing like the January 12 contest at American Airlines Center, where Dallas squeaked out a 114-109 win.
Back then, Dallas had most of their rotation healthy. Friday night? A depleted Mavs squad limped into Houston looking nothing like their January version.
Dallas still leads the season series 2-1, but Houston carries all the momentum now with five straight victories.
Eason’s Career Night Paces Rockets Attack
Tari Eason picked a great time for his best NBA performance:
- Career-high 30 points
- 11-15 shooting (73.3%)
- 2-3 from deep
- 6-6 at the line
- 8 rebounds
- 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
- +37 in 31 minutes
NBC DFW noted in their coverage: “Tari Eason scored a career-high 30 points.”
Postgame, Eason kept it humble: “Hard work getting my feet underneath me.”
He scored from everywhere – drives, mid-range, corner threes, free throws. His efficiency stood out all night as Dallas had no answer for him regardless of who guarded him.
Green Makes Impact Beyond Scoring
Jalen Green filled the stat sheet:
- 23 points
- 9 rebounds (8 defensive)
- 5 assists
- 1 steal, 2 blocks
- 9-19 FG, 4-8 from three
- +27 in 31 minutes
Green scored as always, but his defense and board work jumped out. He battled for rebounds, challenged shots, and played team defense better than we’ve seen for much of his career.
Similar defensive effort showed up when Houston took down Golden State recently. His growth on that end of the floor has Rockets fans excited.
He watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench with Houston firmly in control.
Sengun Dominates Inside
Alperen Sengun bullied Dallas in the paint:
- 16 points
- 15 rebounds (8 offensive)
- 4 assists, 1 steal
- 7-16 shooting
- +22 in 25 minutes
His 8 offensive boards directly created Houston’s massive 29-2 edge in second-chance points.
Sengun established deep position all night, sealed defenders, and attacked every miss. His conditioning shined as he consistently beat Mavs bigs down floor for early seals and easy buckets.
Houston Bench Brings Firepower
Rockets got production from everyone:
Dillon Brooks: 12 points, 3 assists, +21 in 27 minutes
Fred VanVleet: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, zero turnovers, +19 in 25 minutes
Jabari Smith Jr.: 13 points on 6-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, +13 in 24 minutes
Aaron Holiday: 13 points, 3-5 from three, 4 assists, +10 in 16 minutes
Cam Whitmore: 10 points on 4-6 shooting in under 7 minutes
Every Houston player who checked in posted a positive plus-minus. Complete team effort.
Williams Shows Signs of Life for Dallas
Brandon Williams gave Dallas fans something to cheer about:
- 25 points
- 11-14 shooting (78.6%)
- 2-4 from three
- 4 rebounds, 2 assists
- -14 in 26 minutes
Despite scoring efficiently, Dallas still got outscored by 14 with him on court. His offense couldn’t overcome the team’s collective defensive struggles.
Dinwiddie Numbers Hide Defensive Issues
Spencer Dinwiddie posted deceptive stats:
- 20 points
- 9-15 shooting (60%)
- 2-3 from three
- 3 rebounds, 2 assists
- -29 in 34 minutes
The ugly -29 rating comes from Houston targeting him repeatedly on defense.
This continues a pattern from the Mavericks-Thunder game last week, where his defensive shortcomings outweighed his offensive contributions.
Ice Cold: Thompson and Christie Struggle
Some shooting nights make you want to look away:
K. Thompson: 5 points, 2-16 FG (12.5%), 0-3 from three, -33 in 26 minutes
Max Christie: 2 points, 1-13 FG (7.7%), 0-4 from deep, -23 in 34 minutes
Combined: 3-29 from the field (10.3%)
When two rotation players shoot that poorly while taking nearly a third of your team’s shots, winning becomes almost impossible.
Houston Dominates Key Statistical Categories
Looking at the numbers:
| Category | Rockets | Mavericks |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 133 | 96 |
| FG% | 51.4% | 41.5% |
| 3PT% | 48.4% | 36.4% |
| Rebounds | 67 | 34 |
| Offensive Boards | 17 | 6 |
| Assists | 27 | 14 |
| Second-Chance Points | 29 | 2 |
The rebounding category jumps out immediately. Houston nearly doubled Dallas on the glass (67-34), controlling the boards from start to finish.
Houston also moved the ball better (27 assists to 14), found better shots, and converted at higher percentages across the board.
Exum Injury Compounds Dallas Problems
Bad turned worse for Dallas when guard Dante Exum suffered a broken left hand that will likely end his season, according to coach Jason Kidd’s postgame comments.
CBS Sports noted Dallas was “already struggling with several top players out with injuries” before Exum went down.
Looking Ahead: Teams Heading Different Directions
For Houston:
- Five-game winning streak rolling
- First winning season in five years secured
- Young core developing rapidly
- Playoff push looking increasingly realistic
Eason captured the team’s mindset: “Since the moment I got here I set out to try to compete for a championship. My third year now, we’re already on the right track, just excited to keep it going.”
For Dallas:
- Seven losses in their last eight games
- Injury list growing longer
- Defense struggling across the board
- Schedule getting tougher, not easier
The Mavs face a daunting matchup with the Boston Celtics next week, bad timing given their current struggles and depleted roster.
Top Three Takeaways
- Eason Breaking Out: His career-high 30 points on incredible efficiency signals his development into more than just a role player. If this level continues, Houston becomes significantly more dangerous.
- Rebounding Gap Exposes Effort Difference: The 67-34 rebounding disparity showed which team wanted it more. Houston fought for every loose ball and dominated the glass all night.
- Dallas Crisis Deepening: Exum’s injury adds to an already difficult situation for the Mavericks. Their schedule offers few breaks, and their defensive issues look structural rather than just effort-based.
The Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks match player stats from Friday’s contest show two Texas teams heading in completely different directions. Houston surges with confidence while Dallas searches for answers amid mounting losses.
