Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. score 30 each as the Rockets beat the Mavericks 128-110

Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points apiece Wednesday night, and the Houston Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 128-110 at Toyota Center in the season opener for both teams.

Durant shot 10 of 16 with six rebounds and three assists. The NBA said he joined LeBron James as the only players to score 30 or more in a season opener in their 20th season or later. Smith went 11 of 17, made four 3-pointers and had five rebounds.

Houston led 32-26 after one quarter and then won the second 38-12. The Rockets were up 15 midway through the period before a 19-2 run made it 70-38 at halftime, according to the Associated Press. Durant and Smith each had 16 points by the break.

Dallas got within 103-86 with about nine minutes left after a 9-0 run, six of those points from Marcus Sasser. Houston answered with an 8-2 burst, including 3-pointers from Durant and Fred VanVleet, and led 111-88 about a minute later. The Rockets' largest lead was 37.

Alperen Sengun had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Amen Thompson added 16 points and 10 rebounds. VanVleet, back after missing last season with a torn ACL, scored six points with 11 assists. Houston shot 16 of 36 from 3 and had 32 assists. Tari Eason was ejected with about three minutes left in the first quarter after a flagrant foul 2 for shoving P.J. Washington to the floor.

Cooper Flagg, last season's Rookie of the Year, led Dallas with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 11 of 13 at the line. Sasser scored 17 off the bench, Naji Marshall had 16 and Kyrie Irving scored 15 on 6-of-9 shooting in his first regular-season game since tearing his left ACL in March 2025. The Mavericks committed 21 turnovers.

It was the first NBA game for Dallas coach Dusty May, who led Michigan to the NCAA title before replacing the fired Jason Kidd.

Up next: Dallas visits Indiana on Friday, and Houston plays San Antonio in Austin, Texas, the same night.