Rockets Out of Play-In Race Following Overtime Loss to Mavericks

The Houston Rockets gave up a 22-point lead amid an overtime defeat to Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks.

Jabari Smith Jr. missed a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which gave the Dallas Mavericks one last possession to avoid an upset by the Houston Rockets.

Houston traped Luka Dončić to force him to give up the ball in the closing seconds. However, Dante Exum drilled a 3-point field goal at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Mavericks outscored the Rockets 18-7 during the extra period, which resulted in Houston falling 147-136 Sunday afternoon.

The loss inside the American Airlines Center extended the Rockets' four-game losing streak to five. It also eliminated Houston from Play-In contention. The Golden State Warriors received the 10th and final Play-In spot in the Western Conference.

Apr 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives around Houston

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The Rockets once held a 22-point lead and appeared to be on the verge of ending their losing streak. Jalen Green got things going early for the Rockets by scoring 15 first-quarter points. His scoring performance led to Houston holding a 42-27 lead entering the second period.

Houston extended its lead to 22 points (56-34) with 7:59 left in the second period. But behind the services of Dončić, the Mavericks outscored the Rockets 32-15 to close the first half.

After scoring 47 points against the Rockets on March 3, Dončić finished with 37 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds while shooting 12 of 21 from the field. Green finished with 21 points on 6 of 15 shooting, to go along with eight assists and six rebounds in the loss.

The Rockets held a 110-100 lead early in the fourth quarter until The Mavericks embarked on a 15-5 run, which was ignited by Kyrie Irving. They tied the game at 115 with 4:47 left in the quarter. A foul on Fred VanVleet led to Irving knocking down two free throws, which gave the Mavericks a 121-120 lead with three minutes left. Irving's free throws also marked Dallas' first lead of the game.

However, Dillon Brooks nailed a 3-point field goal on the Rockets' next possession for Houston to regain the lead. The two franchises spent the next few possessions flip-flopping the lead.

Reggie Bullock Jr. gave the Rockets a 128-126 lead with 58.0 seconds left in the fourth. Unfortunately, Houston could not hold on to avoid their fifth consecutive loss.

Irving scored a game-high 48 points on 15 of 25 shooting. He scored 19 fourth-quarter points during the Mavericks' comeback attempt.

Dillon Brooks led the way for Houston with 29 points, while Smith finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Fred VanVleet finished with 24 points and a dozen assists. The Rockets had seven players who scored in double figures.

"There were some positive from the game," coach Ime Udoka said. "We had one of our best starts of the year. They [Mavericks] fought back into it and it felt like we outplayed them for most of the game, and Dillon was a big part of that. Loved our start."