Houston Rockets drop 6th game in a row with loss to Dallas Mavericks in Anthony Davis' debut

DALLAS, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Rockets are now riding a six-game losing streak after the team's 116-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday afternoon.

Concerning Houston's matchup with Dallas, it marked the third meeting between the Lone Star State rivals in the 2024-25 regular season. The Rockets played without their floor general, Fred VanVleet, who has been dealing with an ankle injury since rolling his right ankle against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 1.

Not to mention, the Rockets vs. Mavs game is the first home game for Dallas since the blockbuster trade on Feb. 2 that sent Mavericks franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, which sent shock waves through the league.

It was a highly anticipated debut for Anthony Davis in his new threads. The 10-time NBA All-Star was dealt to the Mavericks as part of a three-team trade, where Dallas acquired Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers. Davis made his presence felt right away with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 6-for-8 in field-goal attempts in the first quarter.

At halftime, the Mavs led 65-48 over the Rockets. Houston shot 33% from three-point land while Dallas shot 54% from beyond the arc in the first half. As for Houston's backcourt, Jalen Green notched 16 points and shot 60% in FG made, while Amen Thompson recorded 11 points as Houston trailed by 17 against Dallas at the end of the second quarter. Concerning Dallas, AD led the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in the first half. However, the Mavs were bitten by the injury bug as starting forward P.J. Washington was ruled out for the rest of the game with a right ankle sprain.

To start the third quarter, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka decided to switch things up with a lineup adjustment by starting center Steven Adams next to All-Star Alperen Sengun. Adams finished with 12 rebounds while Sengun dropped 20 of his 30 points in the second half.

During the third quarter, Mavericks' Davis went to the locker room after sustaining a lower body injury. The 31-year-old finished the game with a double-double, recording 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists. Furthermore, Davis had just returned from an abdominal injury.

For the Rockets, the team tried to narrow the Mavs' lead in the second half, and fought to cut the lead to 104-100 with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Houston shot the ball poorly with 31% from three-point territory. The Rockets' young trio of Sengun, A. Thompson, and Jalen Green combined for a total of 74 points in Saturday's loss to Dallas.

Regarding the Mavericks, aside from Davis' dominant debut, stars Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson both dropped 13 points, but their bench contributed in the scoring column with newly acquired guard Max Christie's 23 points alongside Naji Marshall's 16 points and Spencer Dinwiddie's 10 points.

Saturday's game was also the first home game for Dallas without Dirk Nowitzki or Luka Doncic on the roster since 1998.

The Rockets currently sit at the No. 5 seed in the loaded Western Conference. Houston will look to snap their six-game skid when the team hosts the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at the Toyota Center.