HOUSTON -- Having survived a grind on the road the previous evening and facing an undermanned opponent that, on paper, didn't present a serious challenge, the Rockets were trudging along until they received a much-needed shot in the arm.

Trevor Ariza sparked a surge with a hail of third-quarter 3-pointers in the Houston Rockets' 109-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night at Toyota Center.

The Rockets (17-7) pushed their winning streak to six games and extended their NBA record of consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers to 23 by finishing 19 of 37 from behind the arc. With the Rockets laboring in the second half of a back-to-back, Ariza provided a lift with his marksmanship and stifled Dallas once and for all.

"It was a drag. It was dull and we just couldn't find energy," said Rockets guard James Harden, who finished with 18 points and 16 assists and missed a triple-double by one rebound for a second consecutive game. "But Trev made some big shots and got us going and we pushed the lead up going into that fourth quarter."

Rockets reserve guard Eric Gordon chipped in 18 points and Ariza added 17. Gordon and Ariza combined to shoot 10 for 17 on 3-pointers while guard Patrick Beverley finished with 15 points (on 4-of-6 3-point shooting) and seven boards.

Guard Wesley Matthews led the Mavericks with 26 points but needed 22 shots. Forward Harrison Barnes added 20 points and four rebounds as Dallas (5-18) dropped to 0-3 against the Rockets this season while again played without forward Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles), guard J.J. Barea (knee) and center Andrew Bogut (knee).

Houston labored for five-plus minutes without a field goal in the third quarter before Ariza caught fire at the 5:47 mark. He added three more treys in succession, all off Harden assists, to stretch a 66-57 lead to 78-63 with 4:01 to go in the quarter.

Gordon and Sam Dekker added 3s inside the final 2:12 of the third quarter before Gordon drilled another trey with 9:07 remaining to stretch the lead to 16 points.

"It's really tough," Barnes said. "We have a night like last night that we put things together and things are going well and you're hoping you can propel, and 24 hours later it's the slow start."

Houston shot 68.4 percent from the field (13 of 19) in the first quarter, sinking 4 of 6 3-pointers while recording 10 points in transition and seven points off turnovers.

Harden paced the early surge with 13 points and seven assists in the first quarter. His production helped offset 11 first-quarter points from Matthews and paired nicely with Gordon, who nailed two 3s upon entering the game at the 6:13 mark.

"We score a lot in the first quarter," Gordon said. "It's all about keeping our pace up. We need to play fast. If we can do that, the defense won't know what to do."

Said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle: "When you get that kind of bad start on the road, it just makes it harder. We hung in and kept it within 10 or 11 a lot of the game, but it was hard getting over the hump."

NOTES: Houston F/C Donatas Motiejunas was not with the team despite agreeing to a four-year contract worth between $31 million and $37 million based on incentives. The 26-year-old was originally a restricted free agent and signed a four-year, $37 million offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets last week. Houston matched that offer, but Motiejunas did not report for his physical. The Rockets were still working on medical details involving Motiejunas that prohibited the sides from moving forward. ... After missing four games with a right knee sprain, Mavericks G Seth Curry logged 24 minutes in a 111-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle approached Curry's return with a bit of a minutes restriction but didn't anticipate being as cautious against the Rockets. ... Rockets C Nene was dressed and available although Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni prefers to avoid playing Nene in back-to-back games. He logged 14 minutes in a win over the Thunder on Friday night in Oklahoma City.