Rockets 113, Mavericks 105: James Harden scored 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting as Houston zipped past visiting Dallas for its second straight victory to start the season.

Jeremy Lin added 14 points and Dwight Howard contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets. Aaron Brooks also had 13 points for Houston, which was 11-of-29 from 3-point range.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points and Monta Ellis added 20 for the Mavericks. Jae Crowder scored 15 points on five 3-pointers for Dallas, which shot just 38 percent from the field.

The Rockets let a 22-point second-quarter lead sink to six in a 15-minute span before boosting the lead back to 91-74 early in the fourth quarter. Dallas responded with nine straight points but Nowitzki fouled out with 6:11 remaining and the Mavericks trailed by 15 with less than two minutes left before closing the gap to five on three 3-pointers by Crowder.

Houston led 53-31 midway through the second quarter before Dallas crept within 11 at the break. The Mavericks trailed by six with three minutes left in the third before the Rockets went on a 9-2 run to take an 85-72 lead into the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rockets PG Patrick Beverley (torn abdominal muscle) will be sidelined for at least 10-to-14 days and Lin started in his place. … Mavericks PG Jose Calderon missed all eight of his field-goal attempts and is 1-for-15 shooting through two games. … Houston committed 23 turnovers, including six by Lin.