Houston builds its advantage before halftime
Fred VanVleet scored 17 points and supplied seven assists as the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 135–117 at the Venetian Arena in Macau on October 9. Houston opened its preseason with a victory in the first of the teams’ two NBA China Games.
VanVleet made five three-pointers in 24 minutes. Alperen Şengün contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while Tari Eason led Houston with 20 points off the bench. Kevin Durant added 15.
The Rockets led 27–19 after the first quarter and increased the gap to 65–45 by halftime. Dallas edged both second-half quarters but could not erase that early deficit.
Houston made 18 of 36 three-point attempts and recorded 36 assists. Cooper Flagg paced Dallas with 19 points, while Naji Marshall scored 16. The result counted toward preseason records only; both teams remained in preparation for the regular season.