Dallas surrendered 62 points in the paint, highlighting a persistent struggle with rebounding and interior defense that hinders their early-season growth.
HOUSTON — Two games, two stories that look the same. The Dallas Mavericks keep getting punished in the paint — and until that changes, so will the results.
After allowing 72 points in the paint in a 122–110 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday in Mexico City, the Mavericks gave up another 62 paint points in Monday’s 110–102 loss to the Houston Rockets. Over that two-game stretch, opponents scored 134 of their 232 total points (57.8%) inside, exposing what has become Dallas’ most glaring weakness.
“They’ve got big, physical guys,” center Daniel Gafford said. “You feel like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. We knew how physical it’d be, and we battled.”
Houston finished with a 54–40 rebounding advantage, including 15 offensive boards that turned into easy second-chance points. Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson led the way for the Rockets’ starters, who combined for 91 of the team’s 110 points, repeatedly finding lanes to the rim and outmuscling Dallas’ smaller front line.
“We’ve got to do a better job protecting the paint,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Sometimes we’re smaller, so everyone has to box out. They crash with everybody, so we’ve got to respond with the same physicality.”
The Mavericks have now been out-rebounded in five of their first seven games, and their interior defense has eroded with each passing night. Anthony Davis remains out with a left calf strain, Dereck Lively II is still recovering from an ankle injury, and Gafford — who only recently returned from a sprain of his own — continues to work back into full conditioning.
Those absences have forced Dallas to rely heavily on smaller lineups, often slotting P.J. Washington at center or pairing him with a single big man. Against elite rebounders like Şengün and Jalen Duren, that approach has left the Mavericks vulnerable.
Washington, who posted a 29-point, 12-rebound double-double against Houston, said the solution must come from within.
“We got beat on the glass both games,” Washington said. “We’ve just got to be better with paint defense. We’re a little handicapped right now with all the injuries, but as a group we all have to hit the glass more, limit teams to one shot, and get out and run.”
The problem starts early and compounds late. In Mexico City, Detroit’s Jalen Duren erupted for 33 points on 13-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds, while Cade Cunningham piled up 18 assists as the Pistons scored 26 second-chance points and grabbed 14 offensive boards. By the time Dallas adjusted, it was too late — Detroit outscored the Mavericks 35–17 in the fourth quarter to seal it.
Two nights later, the script stayed the same. Houston didn’t shoot well from deep (8-of-29) but dominated inside and on the glass. Dallas managed 56 paint points of its own, yet the difference came in volume — the Rockets attempted 11 more free throws and controlled the interior whenever Dallas’ defense rotated.
The Mavericks have been outscored by a combined 38 points in the paint during their three-game losing streak, and Kidd admitted there’s no quick schematic fix.
“It’s got to be by committee,” Kidd said. “Until we take pride in protecting that area, teams are going to keep attacking us there.”
Dallas will return home Wednesday to face the New Orleans Pelicans, hoping the return of size and health can help close the gaping hole around the rim that’s defined their early season.