Kyrie Irving scored 17 and Dallas’s bench outscored Houston’s 66-45 at The Venetian Arena to take Game 2 of the NBA China Games in Macao
Mavericks beat Rockets 132-115 to split NBA China Games in Macao
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The Dallas Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets 132-115 at The Venetian Arena on Sunday in the second game of the NBA China Games 2026 in Macao.
The result left the teams level at one win each after Houston took Friday’s opener 135-117. Dallas won every quarter and led 58-51 at halftime. The Mavericks were up by as many as 19, while Houston never led by more than 7.
Kyrie Irving, who sat out Friday’s game, opened the scoring and finished with 17 points in 22 minutes. Zaccharie Risacher added 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Cooper Flagg had 14 points and seven assists, and Naji Marshall and Max Christie scored 14 each.
[See more: Rockets beat Mavericks by 18 in NBA China Games opener]
Depth made the difference. Dallas’s bench outscored Houston’s 66-45, and the Mavericks won the fast break points 24-11. They shot 48 percent, made 15 of 40 from three and hit 35 of 39 free throws.
Houston shot 41 percent and made 14 of 47 from three, though it made 27 of 36 at the line. Marcus Smart scored 20 points and Reed Sheppard 17, with four threes each. Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. had 14 each, and Smith Jr. grabbed nine rebounds. Kevin Durant did not play.
