Daniel Gafford went to the line with 11.3 seconds left and a one-point Dallas lead. He made both. By the time Houston could finish answering, Kyrie Irving had made four more free throws and Cooper Flagg had added another. Seven Dallas attempts, seven points, and finally a little distance on the scoreboard.
The Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets 116-111 Friday at American Airlines Center. Their closing foul shots did not repair every problem that had made the finish so uncomfortable. They did turn a fragile lead into a win without another missed attempt inviting Houston back into the exchange.
Gafford’s first visit is worth placing precisely. Jabari Smith Jr.’s three with 15.8 seconds remaining had reduced Dallas’ advantage to 109-108. Gafford’s two makes at 11.3 seconds pushed it to 111-108.
Those were valuable points from a player whose overall foul shooting was less tidy: he finished 6 of 9 at the line. The ending was better than the whole, and Dallas needed it to be.
Kevin Durant made two free throws with 7.9 seconds left, putting Houston within 111-110. Irving responded with two at 6.2, making it 113-110. Houston was still scoring; Dallas was preserving the advantage by answering every time the clock stopped. There was no spare possession in which to admire the comeback.
At 3.6 seconds, Amen Thompson made the first of two free throws and missed the second. The score stood at 113-111. Flagg made one at that stoppage, then Irving converted two more following Fred VanVleet’s foul with 3.1 seconds remaining. Dallas had reached 116. Houston finished on 111.
That closing accuracy is easy to overlook beside Irving’s 35 points and Flagg’s 33. A late free throw does not have the visual appeal of a turnaround jumper, but the points are useful just the same. Irving finished perfect on six attempts for the game.
Flagg went 7 of 10. Both contributed a different kind of finishing when creating another field goal was no longer the immediate job.
The rest of Dallas’ foul shooting explains why the late work deserves attention without becoming a claim that everything was crisp. The Mavericks finished 20 of 27. Gafford and Flagg had missed chances earlier, even as their scoring helped Dallas survive.
Houston’s 24 makes in 33 attempts offered no overwhelming percentage advantage, either. The game turned on particular possessions, not a sweeping difference in full-night free-throw proficiency.
