This was something of a proof game early in the season for the Houston Rockets, as they played on the road against cross-state rival and Western Conference contender Dallas Mavericks and the Rockets met the challenge with a 108-102 win.

Houston got off to a fast start and then survived a Dallas comeback thanks to the strength of its defense and rebounding. The Rockets won the board battle in this game by a 50-37 margin, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Houston's offense wasn't great as they shot just 41.2 percent as a team, with Jabari Smith Jr. being the only starter to shoot 50 percent or better, while the Rockets also shot just 8 of 34 from distance.

And while the Rockets' defense allowed Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to score 29 and 28 points, respectively, no other Maverick scored in double figures except Klay Thompson, who had 12 on just 2 of 9 from deep.

As for the Rockets, they were once again led by Jalen Green, who finished the game with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He hasn't been particularly efficient, hitting just 9 of 21 from the field and 3 of 8 from deep, but he has shown time and time again so far this season that he deserves his new extension.

Houston also received 17 points, 12 points and 4 assists from Alperen Sengun. However, he was just 5 of 16 from the field as Alpie continues to try to find its footing this year.

Dillon Brooks also had 17, but he was just 6 of 15 from the field and 2 of 9 from deep. However, he brought a spark to the game with some Dillon the Villain stuff. Tari Eason had 15 points off the bench on 6-for-10 shooting as he continued to make a case for himself, while Jabari Smith finished with 14 points and 6 points on 5-for-10 from the field. However, he was only 1:5 from deep. Amen Thompson rounded out the double-digit scoring tally with 10 goals on 4-for-5 shooting.

Fred VanVleet laid another egg for the Rockets, playing 39 minutes but scoring just 4 points on 2 of 13 from the field and 0 of 7 from deep. He also only had 4 assists. Fred has averaged just 12.6 points and 5.8 assists on 30 percent shooting so far this season. It's still pretty early, but these aren't the numbers that would make a GM pick up your $44 million team option.

But that's a conversation for another day. For now, we can take solace in the fact that the Rockets have rattled off two straight wins on the road against their fellow Texans, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, and that they seem to be finding their luck, especially on the road defense.

They will be back in action on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.