Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. score 30 apiece as the Rockets beat the Mavericks 128-110 and Tari Eason is ejected

Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points apiece Wednesday night as the Houston Rockets blew the game open in the second quarter and cruised past the Dallas Mavericks 128-110 in the season opener for both teams.

Houston led by six after one quarter, then outscored Dallas 38-12 in the second. A 19-2 run to close the half sent the Rockets into the locker room up 70-38. Durant and Smith had 16 points each by halftime.

Alperen Sengun added 23 points and 10 rebounds. Fred VanVleet had six points and 11 assists in his return after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

Eason tossed in the first quarter

The night had an ugly moment early. Rockets reserve forward Tari Eason forcefully shoved Mavericks forward P.J. Washington in the back with 2:47 left in the first quarter, sending Washington sprawling to the floor and sparking a brief confrontation.

After a replay review the officials upgraded the common foul to a flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection. Eason is in the first season of a five-year, $81.5 million contract.

Flagg and Irving in a loss

Cooper Flagg, last season's Rookie of the Year, led Dallas with 32 points, the most ever by a teenager in a season opener. Kyrie Irving scored 15 in 24 minutes in his first regular-season game since tearing his left ACL in March 2025.

The Mavericks missed all 14 of their 3-point tries in the second quarter. They trimmed the lead to 103-86 with about nine minutes left behind six points from Marcus Sasser, but 3-pointers from Durant and VanVleet pushed it back to 111-88 a minute later.

It was a tough first game for new Dallas coach Dusty May, who led Michigan to the NCAA championship before he was hired to replace Jason Kidd.

Up next

The Rockets play the San Antonio Spurs in Austin on Friday. The Mavericks visit the Indiana Pacers the same night.