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NBA · October 21, 2026

Dallas Mavericks vs Houston Rockets Final — October 21, 2026

Dallas Mavericks

110

Top scorer Cooper Flagg70 games

FINAL

Houston Rockets

128

Top scorer Kevin Durant78 games

Wednesday, October 21 · 8:40 PM ET

DALOffenseFull 2025-26 regular season (last season)HOU

29th108.7

Offensive ratingpoints scored per 100 possessions

115.99th

23rd113.9

PPG

115.218th

DALDefenseHOU

19th114.3

Defensive ratingpoints allowed per 100 possessions

111.16th

23rd119.5

Opp PPG

110.05th

DALTeamHOU

24th−5.7

Net ratingoffensive minus defensive rating

+4.87th

DALLast 10 gamesHOU

Game by game

0-10

Last 10

7-3

-180

Net points

+135

Top third of the leagueMiddle thirdBottom thirdBar = league rank (full = 1st)

Injuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel

DALRest & travelHOU

5 days

Days of rest

6 days

227 mi365 km

Travel to the game

Home

DALKey injuriesHOU

Santi Aldama FOut

Players out or limited

Steven Adams CDay-to-day

About these numbers

Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (30 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.

Margin of each of the last 10 games this season, oldest to newest (gold = won). Hover a bar for the score margin.

Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.

Key players only. Injury report as of October 21, 9:40 a.m. ET.

The pre-game matchup

The Mavericks visited the Rockets on Wednesday, October 21 at 8:40 PM ET.

Last season (2025-26), the Mavericks scored 113.9 points per game (23rd of 30) and allowed 119.5 (23rd). The Rockets scored 115.2 points per game (18th of 30) and allowed 110.0 (5th).

Offensive rating, the points scored per 100 possessions: Mavericks 108.7 (29th), Rockets 115.9 (9th). Defensive rating, the points allowed per 100 possessions: Mavericks 114.3 (19th), Rockets 111.1 (6th). Net rating, the offensive minus defensive rating: Mavericks −5.7 (24th), Rockets +4.8 (7th). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.

The Rockets closed as 9.5-point favorites at home against the Mavericks. The spread opened at Rockets -8.5. The total closed at 230.5, up from 228.5 at the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Mavericks +325, Rockets -422) prices the Mavericks at 23% and the Rockets at 77%.

Written from the numbers available before kickoff.

Result

Final score and result vs the closing line

Dallas Mavericks 110, Houston Rockets 128

Houston Rockets won by 18.

Against the closing spread (Houston Rockets -9.5): Houston Rockets covered.
Combined score 238 vs the closing total of 230.5: Over.
Houston Rockets closed at -422 on the moneyline (a 77% no-vig market-implied chance).

Market

Closing line and line movement

Spreadmoved 1

OpenRockets -8.5 (-105)
Mavericks +8.5 (-115)

CloseRockets -9.5 (-115)
Mavericks +9.5 (-105)

Totalup 2

Open228.5 (o -114 / u -108)

Close230.5 (o -110 / u -110)

Moneyline

OpenMavericks +250 27%
Rockets -325 73%

CloseMavericks +325 23%
Rockets -422 77%

Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.

Members

G&W Line

G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics

Projected score

Spread

Total

Win %

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Matchup

Players to watch

Mavericks

70 games · Cooper Flagg

Points per game21.031st
Rebounds per game6.757th
Assists per game4.555th
Minutes per game33.5

74 games · Naji Marshall

Points per game15.289th
Rebounds per game4.7134th
Assists per game3.3102nd
Minutes per game29.5

Rockets

78 games · Kevin Durant

Points per game26.015th
Rebounds per game5.592nd
Assists per game4.850th
Minutes per game36.4

72 games · Alperen Sengun

Points per game20.438th
Rebounds per game8.917th
Assists per game6.220th
Minutes per game33.3

2025-26 regular-season per-game averages, top two scorers per team, from season player stats captured before game time. Ranks among the 389 players with at least 20 games.

Head-to-head

The teams have met 34 times since 2022: the Mavericks won 18 and the Rockets 16.

Date	Score	Line	Total
Oct 11, 2026	Mavericks 132, Rockets 115 Mavericks won
Oct 11, 2026	Mavericks 132, Rockets 115 Mavericks won
Oct 11, 2026	Mavericks 132, Rockets 115 Mavericks won
Oct 11, 2026	Mavericks 132, Rockets 115 Mavericks won
Oct 11, 2026	Mavericks 132, Rockets 115 Mavericks won

Meetings since 2022, most recent first. Line and total are the consensus closing numbers where line history is available.

Teams