LOS ANGELES, USA – Luka Doncic and Wesley Matthews scored 21 points apiece as the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 35-point night from James Harden to beat the Houston Rockets, 107-104, in the NBA on Saturday, December 8 (Sunday, December 9, Manila time).
Slovenian rookie Doncic started slowly but caught fire late in the 4th, scoring 11 consecutive points to erase an eight-point Houston lead as the Mavericks recorded their ninth straight win at home.
Doncic, 19, made a floater to tie the contest 102-102 late in the 4th after Chris Paul had missed two free throws.
Harden then put up an air ball from beyond the arc and Doncic made the Rockets pay for their mistakes by draining a triple to give Dallas a three-point lead, 105-102.
Eric Gordon then missed a potential tying three-pointer for Houston at the buzzer.
“It’s pretty clear that he’s got a flair for the moment,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Doncic. “He’s unafraid. You don’t see that every day. It’s a unique 3 or 4 minutes, whatever he put together there.”
That time @luka7doncic went on an 11-0 run… pic.twitter.com/w9Y85cV9RR
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 9, 2018
Harden, who overcame early foul trouble, led all scorers while Paul finished with 23 points and 8 assists. However, the Rockets couldn’t hold the lead less than two weeks after losing to Dallas by 20 points at home.
The Mavericks extended their longest home winning streak since winning 9 straight in 2011, the year they won their only NBA championship.
Doncic finished 7-of-17 from the field with 7 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan finished with 12 points and 20 rebounds. – Rappler.com
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