Block party: Rockets reject Mavs, Usman Garuba enjoys career night

Led by a career-high five blocks from Alperen Sengun and three by fellow second-year center Usman Garuba, the Houston Rockets collected 19 as a group in Wednesday’s 101-92 win (box score) at Dallas. That team total came in one shy of a franchise record, set in the 1984-85 rookie season of legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon.

Garuba scored a career-high 12 points in 22 minutes on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 on 3-pointers. The Rockets were +16 with Garuba on the court, best of any player on the floor, and he added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and strong defense throughout. As a testament to the latter, head coach Stephen Silas opted to finish the game with Garuba, rather than Sengun, on the court.

That interior shot-blocking presence often allowed Houston’s perimeter players to contest harder on 3-pointers, where Dallas shot just 12-of-55 (21.8%) as a team. Houston, by contrast, connected on 10-of-22 from 3-point range (45.5%) at American Airlines Center.

It was the first meeting between the Rockets and former teammate Christian Wood since the June 2022 trade that sent the big man from Houston to Dallas. The Mavericks played without perennial All-Star guard and MVP candidate Luka Doncic, who sat out to rest on the second night of a back-to-back for the Mavericks.

Wood had 26 points and 8 rebounds but shot just 9-of-22 from the field (40.9%), with several of his shots blocked by the Rockets.

19 BLOCKS ‼️

The #Rockets tied for the second-most blocks in franchise history tonight!

Big time. pic.twitter.com/owPYBSJKB3

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 17, 2022

By scoring, it was a balanced night for Houston, which had seven players in double figures. Beyond Garuba, the other six were:

• Kevin Porter Jr.: 17 points (42.9% FG, 66.7% on 3-pointers), 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, +16 in plus/minus
• Jalen Green: 17 points, (33.3% FG, 25.0% on 3-pointers), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, +9
• Alperen Sengun: 14 points (50.0% FG), 7 rebounds, 5 blocks, -7
• Jabari Smith Jr.: 10 points (30.0% FG, 40.0% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, -3
• Eric Gordon: 10 points (33.3% FG, 25.0% on 3-pointers), 3 rebounds, +13
• KJ Martin: 10 points (4-of-5 shooting, 1-of-1 on 3-pointers), 2 blocks, +0

The one 3-point make for Gordon was a dagger in the final minute, fittingly off a pass from Garuba. Smith had a number of key defensive stops in the fourth quarter, and he scored five straight points in the middle of the period that broke open what was a tie game.

Houston improved to 3-12, while Dallas fell to 8-6. The win broke a six-game home winning streak for the Mavericks.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interviews. Next up for the Rockets is a four-game homestand at Toyota Center, which begins Friday versus Indiana. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.