The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a massive 116-111 win against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, kicking off their NBA Cup season with an absolute thriller. This wasn’t just any win, it was a battle right down to the wire, packed with clutch plays where Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Daniel Gafford totally took over when it mattered most. It was their first NBA Cup game of the season, and man, what a way to start, pushing their record to 4-2 against a tough Rockets squad that’s sitting at 5-1.
Houston Refuses to Go Quietly
Things got real intense real fast, as they always do when the NBA defines “clutch” as the final five minutes of a game with the score within five points. The Mavs actually went into this period with a three-point lead. But Houston wasn’t about to roll over. Dallas forced two stops, but the Rockets kept getting offensive boards, refusing to give up second chances. Then, Fred Van Vleet drained a three-pointer, tying the game up at 96-96 with 4:21 left on the clock. You could feel the tension, right? Every possession was everything.
Flagg and Irving Go Nuclear in Crunch Time
That tie didn’t last long, though, thanks to Cooper Flagg. With 4:07 to go, Flagg hit a floater, his 25th point of the night, immediately answering Van Vleet’s three. After the Mavs got a stop and a rebound, Flagg was at it again, dropping a finger roll that was goaltended, counting for points and putting Dallas up 100-96 with 3:28 left. But the Rockets kept fighting. Zaccharie Risacher committed a shooting foul, and Kevin Durant sank both free throws. Then, after an Irving three-point attempt went awry, Van Vleet hit a bucket, and just like that, it was tied again, 100-100, with 2:26 remaining.
That’s when Kyrie Irving decided it was his turn to take over. Off an assist from Flagg, Irving hit a sweet 16-foot shot, pushing past the 30-point mark for the game and putting the Mavs up by two. The drama only intensified when Caleb Martin fouled Durant, and somehow, Durant, an 82.7% free throw shooter, missed both attempts! Unbelievable, right? Then Flagg, not to be outdone, joined Irving as a 30-point scorer himself. He hit a floater, got fouled, and nailed the free throw to stretch the lead to five points, 105-100, with 1:40 on the clock. Talk about clutch!
Gafford Sustains the Lead When It Counted
Durant hit a shot to cut into that lead and quiet the crowd for a second, but Irving was absolutely locked in. Seven seconds later, he launched a surprising three-point attempt that unfortunately missed. But guess who was there? Daniel Gafford, crashing the boards! He grabbed the offensive rebound and put back a mini hook shot. The ball was already on its way down when Clint Capela goaltended it, keeping that five-point lead intact, 107-102, with just 1:18 left. What a heads-up play by Gafford to sustain that momentum!
The Mavs were up 107-10 with one minute left, and they rode that incredible clutch performance from Flagg, Irving, and Gafford to seal the 116-111 victory. It’s an early season statement win, proving this squad knows how to close out a game when everything is on the line. These guys showed serious fight, and that’s the kind of energy you want to see as the NBA Cup action heats up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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