Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant made NBA history in Wednesday night's 128-110 season-opening win over the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center.
Durant, now in his 20th season, finished with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He shot 10-of-16 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. With the performance, the 38-year-old became the oldest player in league's history to score 30 or more points in a season opener.
Jabari Smith Jr. matched Durant with 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 36 minutes. Each scored 16 points in the first half.
The Rockets led by six after the first quarter, then outscored the Mavericks 38-12 in the second. Houston was up by 15 midway through the second quarter before a 19-2 run made it 70-38 at halftime. The Rockets led by as many as 37 in the third quarter.
Alperen Sengun added 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Fred VanVleet recorded six points and 11 assists without a turnover in 30 minutes, returning after missing the 2025-26 season with a torn ACL.
Houston shot 56% from the field, made 16 3-pointers and scored 29 fast-break points, going 12 of 14 on those attempts. Dallas committed 21 turnovers. The victory ended the Rockets' eight-game opening-night losing streak.
Article Continues BelowCooper Flagg, last season's Rookie of the Year, led the Mavericks with 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Kyrie Irving had 15 points in his first regular-season game since tearing his left ACL in March 2025. PJ Washington contributed 10 points and four rebounds. The game was the debut for Dallas head coach Dusty May.
The Mavericks used a 9-0 run, with six points from Marcus Sasser, to cut the deficit to 103-86 with about nine minutes left. Houston answered with an 8-2 spurt, including 3-pointers from Durant and VanVleet, to push the lead to 111-88.
Up next, the Rockets will face the San Antonio Spurs in Austin on Friday.