The Quiet Stops Behind Irving’s Fourth-Quarter Surge

At 10:41 of the fourth quarter, Daniel Gafford erased Amen Thompson’s dunk attempt with a block. The Dallas Mavericks still trailed Houston 84-78, and one rejection did not transform the game into a defensive clinic.

It did give Dallas a concrete response after Clint Capela’s offensive rebound: Gafford protected the rim, Cooper Flagg secured the defensive rebound and the Rockets went without a score on that possession.

Dallas beat Houston 116-111 on Friday at American Airlines Center, beginning the fourth with a 15-4 run over 4:59. Martin’s three at 7:43 produced an 88-88 tie. Irving’s at 7:01 put Dallas ahead 91-88, completing the run. The scoring was striking, but the block and the rebounds gave Dallas possessions on which to pursue it.

The sequence had started with Gafford’s layup at 11:17, assisted by Irving, cutting the deficit to six. VanVleet then missed a 3-pointer, Capela grabbed the offensive rebound and Thompson attacked the rim. Gafford’s block ended that attempt.

Dallas did not force every subsequent Houston miss, and the Rockets remained capable of creating second chances. But the Mavericks did collect the next rebound and earned another opportunity to press their advantage.

Dallas nearly gave the possession battle back. Flagg threw a bad pass at 10:05, and Jabari Smith Jr. stole it. Fred VanVleet missed a driving floater on Houston’s ensuing possession, however, and Flagg pulled down the defensive rebound.

Irving answered with a two-point basket at 9:42. After Bogdan Bogdanovic made two free throws for Houston, Irving scored on a driving floater at 9:12 and a long running pull-up at 8:46. The Rockets’ lead had become one point.

Washington handled the less glamorous portion of the rescue. At 8:52, he rebounded Thompson’s missed pull-up. At 8:23, he collected Smith’s missed 3-pointer.

Those were not dramatic stops, and a rebound alone does not explain every missed shot. It did keep two possessions from producing Houston follow-ups. Washington finished with 10 rebounds, seven in the fourth quarter, including six defensive boards in that period, despite scoring only three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Houston still managed to interrupt the surge. VanVleet’s driving floater at 7:59 put the Rockets ahead 88-85, and Dallas needed another answer. At 7:43, Washington assisted Caleb Martin’s 3-pointer, tying the game at 88. The play gave Dallas a needed basket without requiring the entire possession to end in Irving’s hands.

Houston then missed twice on the same possession. VanVleet missed a two-point attempt, Houston recovered the offensive rebound, and the possession ended with a shot-clock turnover at 7:12. The violation was not a defensive masterpiece by itself, but it removed another Rockets chance. Irving used the gift at 7:01, hitting the 3-pointer that put Dallas ahead 91-88.

The Mavericks’ five-minute burst gave the rally substance without settling the game. Houston tied it at 96-96 on VanVleet’s 3-pointer at 4:21, then reached 100-100 on his driving floater with 2:26 left. Dallas had to rebuild the lead each time.

At 2:08, Irving made a pull-up assisted by Flagg, putting the Mavericks ahead 102-100. Flagg later supplied the next major answer himself, making a turnaround with 24.3 seconds left to move Dallas from 107-105 to 109-105.

That sequence also explains why a tidy defensive verdict would be premature. Houston grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and finished with 48 total rebounds. Capela and Tari Eason extended possessions, and the Rockets scored 46 points in the paint.

Dallas committed 18 total turnovers, including the team turnover, while Houston had 13. The Mavericks did not suddenly solve every problem that had allowed Houston to stay close.

They did enough in the opening minutes of the fourth to prevent those problems from deciding the game immediately. Gafford’s block followed Capela’s offensive rebound and preceded Flagg’s defensive rebound. Washington’s fourth-quarter boards denied Houston extra attempts at important moments.

The shot-clock violation arrived after Houston had already reclaimed its own miss. These were small interruptions, but together they kept Dallas connected to the game while Irving’s offense changed the score.

At 7:12, Houston’s possession expired on a shot-clock violation after two VanVleet misses. Eleven seconds later, Irving’s three put Dallas in front. The Mavericks needed the shot, but first they needed the empty Houston trip. Their best five minutes of the quarter contained both parts of that exchange.

Sources

NBA: official final box score

ESPN: game record and event timing

Mavericks: regional broadcast footprint