HOUSTON -- It came as quite the revelation when Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni offered that his team's defense was ahead of its offense and it was an opinion supported in the locker room in the aftermath of a surprising grind to victory.

Guard James Harden overcame a difficult shooting night to post a game-high 28 points, including one free throw with one-tenth of a second remaining, to lift the Rockets to a 93-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night at Toyota Center.

Harden drew a foul from Mavericks swingman Wesley Matthews on a desperate drive to the basket immediately after Matthews' 3-pointer pulled Dallas even with 4.1 seconds remaining. Matthews fouled out on the play and Harden made the second free throw after missing the first to cap the victory for the Rockets (2-1).

Houston blew what was a 17-point lead on Matthews' trey yet never trailed down the stretch. Blistered by the Lakers' offense in their opener last Wednesday, the Rockets utilized their stout defense to keep the Mavericks at bay time and again.

"Defensively we did a really good job of locking down, especially in the fourth quarter," said Harden, whose 8-for-23 shooting was compensated for by seven rebounds and seven assists. "Offense is going to come. I'm not worried about that. But just defensively I thought we had a really good game."

Matthews paced Dallas with 25 points but missed 16 of 25 attempts. The Mavericks shot 38.1 percent (32 of 84) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (7 of 21) in the fourth quarter.

Dallas' starters made just 6 of 22 3-pointers (27.3 percent), scuffling mightily for points without forward Dirk Nowitzki (illness).

"We have to keep finding ways," Matthews said. "Our margin for error is slim like most NBA teams."

With effort and an array of defenses Dallas stifled the Rockets' ball movement, yielding only three assists in the second half until center Nene scored off a Trevor Ariza pass following a baseline cut to the basket for a 91-87 lead with 2:16 left.

The Mavericks (0-3) did not surrender another basket. Their defensive might covered their offensive warts, and Matthews' late 3-pointer capped their spirited comeback.

"We did a lot of great things tonight," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our competitiveness was tremendous. Matthews played one of the best games as a competitor I have ever witnessed or seen any player in this league play."

The Rockets didn't appear set for a stressful finish. Nene scored nine points in the first quarter to fuel a late surge that extended the Houston lead from 23-20 to nine points entering the second courtesy of a Corey Brewer buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Houston kept rolling in the second, and when reserve forward Sam Dekker sandwiched 3-pointers around a driving layup from Tyler Ennis, the Rockets led 48-31.

The Mavericks rallied behind backup point guard J.J. Barea (18 points, five assists). Houston still led by double digits at the break thanks to another buzzer beater, this one from Harden on a cut to the basket, but their early momentum never returned.

It wasn't until guard Eric Gordon hit a running floater at the 5:47 mark of the third that Houston scored a second-half field goal. But Dallas failed to secure the lead during the Rockets' prolonged slump, and when Harden closed the period by scoring or assisting on 11 consecutive points, the advantage reached double digits yet again.

"We are learning," said Rockets forward Ryan Anderson, who posted a double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds). "Each game we are going to get better. But they did a good job because they have that small-ball lineup where they can switch a lot."

NOTES: Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki was a late scratch due to illness. He also was out of the lineup on Friday night due to Achilles soreness and residual discomfort from a stomach ailment. Nowitzki posted 22 points and eight rebounds in the season opener against the Pacers. ... After logging just 12 minutes in the opener against the Lakers and six minutes in the first half at Dallas on Friday, Rockets G K.J. McDaniels played 16 minutes in the second half of that 106-98 victory and caught the eye of Houston coach Mike D'Antoni, who confirmed that McDaniels earned additional playing time. ... D'Antoni made a point of stressing pace in the second half against the Mavericks on Friday, a sincere attempt to keep the Rockets mindful of how fast they should play. Through two games, the Rockets were 18th in pace at 97.2 possessions per 48 minutes.