Two nights after a feel-good win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets didn’t seem to have the same magic on Friday versus All-Star guard Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic had a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds during a 113-100 win (box score) by the visiting Mavericks at Toyota Center, which improved them to 41-26 and the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference standings. With the loss, Houston (17-50) remains in last place in the West.
Rockets rookies Jalen Green (11 points, 6 assists) and Alperen Sengun (6 points, 6 assists) — the latter starting in place of Christian Wood, who missed his third straight game with an illness — weren’t able to recapture their dynamic form from two nights earlier.
But with Sengun plagued by defensive woes and foul trouble, third-year center Bruno Fernando — who has barely played since being acquired at the trade deadline from Boston as a salary fill-in of the Daniel Theis trade — was a clear bright spot off the bench with a career-high 16 points (8-of-8 shooting), 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just 23 minutes.
Starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and reserve guard Josh Christopher each tied for Houston’s scoring lead with 17 points.
