Flagg, Irving sink Rockets in season opener with 68 combined points

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving drained the Rockets' shot in the final two minutes of Friday night's NBA Cup opener. The Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 116-111, ending Houston's perfect start to the season. Flagg finished with 33 points, while Irving added 35 to lead the rally.

Houston built momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Dallas 31-17 to flip a seven-point deficit into a lead of the same magnitude. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 10 of his 22 points during that stretch. Despite the early surge, the Rockets could not sustain the pressure against a Dallas backcourt that exploded in the second half. Irving scored 26 of his 35 points after intermission.

The game tightened late when Houston trailed by two with 1:53 remaining. Kevin Durant, who finished with 28 points, missed two free throws. Moments later, Amen Thompson missed a pair with 42 seconds left after P.J. Washington intercepted a pass intended for him. Flagg capitalized on each miss, scoring on the other end. He converted a three-point play to keep Dallas ahead.

Daniel Gafford sealed the win with 18 points of his own, including two free throws with the Mavericks leading by one point and 11 seconds on the clock. Dallas then fouled intentionally twice in the final 10 seconds to stop the clock. Irving hit all four resulting free throws, finishing 6 for 6 from the line.

Irving's performance extended his streak of consecutive made free throws to 54. The run dates back to before he was sidelined for 19 months with a torn ACL in his left knee. Fred VanVleet added 16 points for Houston, and Thompson contributed 15. The Rockets shot just 24 of 33 from the free-throw line in the loss.

The result leaves Memphis, which is 5-0, as the only remaining unbeaten team in the league. The Rockets host the Thunder on Saturday night. The Mavericks will host the Kings on Monday night.