On January 2, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Rockets hosted the Mavericks. For the Mavericks, Lively is back and Doncic is still sidelined. Irving's performance in this game was average, and Washington retired with an injury halfway through. In the end, the Mavericks lost to the Rockets 99-110 and suffered three consecutive defeats.

Technical Statistics:

Rockets: Dillon 19 points and 6 rebounds, Shin Jing 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals, Jalen Green 22 points and 5 rebounds, Whitmore 18 points and 3 rebounds, Smith 12 points

Mavericks: Klay 16 points and 5 rebounds, Irving 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, Grimes 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Hardy 11 points and 3 assists

At the beginning of the first quarter, Lively scored consecutive attacks, and Klay drifted three points to hit a solid shot, and the Mavericks led 7-2. The Rockets made back-to-back free throws to chase points, and Klay immediately responded with a three-pointer. With Washington's mid-range shot, the Mavericks took the lead in the upper double. Jalen Green and Smith hit the basket in quick succession, and the Rockets hit a 12-1 spurt to tie the score. Then the scores of the two sides fell into a stalemate, and Grimes scored a three-pointer to give the Mavericks another small climax. At the end of the first quarter, the Mavericks led the Rockets 30-24.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Mavericks' offense continued unabated, and Grimes and Dinwiddie fired consecutive shots from the outside, bringing the margin to double digits. Shin Kyung and Whitmore worked under the basket one after another, and VanVleet made a layup to close the gap. With Whitmore hitting a long-range shot, the Rockets have completed a double-digit comeback. The Mavericks still couldn't get their groove back at the moment, and it took the Rockets less than half a quarter to go from trailing by 10 points to leading by 9 points. At the critical moment, Hardy hit three points in a row to help the Mavericks stop the bleeding, but unfortunately the Rockets' offensive continued to maintain the lead. At halftime, the Rockets led the Mavericks 61-52.

At the beginning of the second half, Smith scored a three-pointer with a young hand, and Jalen Green and Dillon doubled the goal to the Yellow Dragon, and the Rockets continued to extend their lead. Dinwiddie, Klay, and Irving hit the basket one after another to chase points, and the Rockets called an emergency stop to the game when they saw that the momentum was not right. After the timeout, the Rockets continued to attack the city on the inside, and a wave of 6-1 re-stabilized the situation. The Mavericks can't find their touch for a long time, and the Rockets' outside blooming means that they have to take the game away. With Dillon hitting a long-range shot, the Rockets led the Mavericks 89-75.

At the beginning of the last quarter, the two sides attacked and defended each other, and the waves were not shocked. Clay burst out of the cold arrow, Whitmore European step back to color. VanVleet continued to strike iron, and Adams made a basket for cake. Jalen Green scored a layup, Whitmore went through the outside with a hundred steps, and the Rockets stopped the Mavericks again. After the pause, the Mavericks' offense still did not improve much, and they could only lose in the end. The Mavericks lost to the Rockets 99-110 and suffered a three-game losing streak.

Mavericks: Irving, Dinwiddie, Klay, Washington, Lively

Rockets: VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon, Jabari Smith, Shin Kyung