The Rockets wrapped up a winless four-game road trip with Saturday's 116-105 loss ( box score ) at rival Dallas . Houston (32-20) has now lost six straight, overall, amid a slide to No. 4 in the Western Conference standings .
In a matchup of All-Star big men, Anthony Davis was dominant for the Mavericks before leaving early with an apparent aggravation of his recent abdominal injury (in postgame comments, Davis said he did not believe it to be serious ). In 31 minutes, Davis finished with a game-high 26 points (55.6% FG), 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks.
Davis was acquired by Dallas (28-25) one week earlier in the controversial trade sending Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers . Max Christie , acquired from the Lakers in that same trade, added 23 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range (80.0%) and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line (90.0%).
The Rockets trailed by 21 points midway through the game before fighting back in the second half. After a sluggish start by Alperen Sengun , a two-big lineup with Sengun and Steven Adams (12 rebounds, 9 offensive in 22 minutes) helped get Houston's All-Star center going.
Final stat lines of note included:
Sengun: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists; 11-of-19 shooting (57.9%), 1-of-3 on 3-pointers (33.3%), 7-of-10 on free throws (70.0%)
Jalen Green : 24 points, 6 assists; 10-of-21 shooting (47.6%), 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%)
Amen Thompson : 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks; 9-of-14 shooting (64.3%), 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%)
Collectively, Houston shot just 8-of-28 on 3-pointers (28.6%) on a night when Dallas made 12-of-23 from deep (52.2%). That hot shooting kept the Rockets at bay despite Davis leaving early, and Houston never got any closer than four points in the fourth quarter despite a spirited rally.
Houston remained short-handed with multiple members of its usual starting lineup sidelined. Jabari Smith Jr. has now missed more than a month with a fractured left hand, while Fred VanVleet has sat out the last four-plus games with a right ankle strain.
After a grueling stretch of the schedule with eight of nine games on the road, the Rockets will finally return home for a three-game homestand leading into the NBA's 2025 All-Star break. The first game comes Sunday afternoon at home versus Toronto (16-36), with tipoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.
More: As Luka Doncic exits Dallas, Rockets could benefit in many ways, including 2029 NBA draft
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Six straight: In Dallas debut, Anthony Davis deals Rockets latest loss
