DALLAS (NBA.com exclusive) --  On a night when Houston played without two high-profile All-Stars, Dallas was driven by a player flying so far below the radar that his name wasn't even listed on the NBA All-Star ballot unveiled here Tuesday.

Erick Dampier pulled down a season-high 20 rebounds, scored 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and blocked three shots as the Mavericks stormed back from a 17-point deficit in a 121-103 victory over the Rockets.

It was the third double-double for Dampier this season and the eighth 20-rebound game of his 14-year career, his first since grabbing 26 against Philadelphia on Jan. 29, 2005. He ranks among the league leaders in boards and blocked shots, but would have to rely on a flood of write-in votes to earn a spot in the Feb. 14 All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium.

"He's been huge and he's helped us out big time, and not just on the defensive end, but on the offensive end where he's been aggressive," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said. "He wants the ball down low. He wants to be involved on the offensive end and not just set picks and get rebounds."

Dampier is used to being overlooked on a roster filled with All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki, Kidd, Shawn Marion and Josh Howard, not to mention reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry and even fan favorite J.J. Barea. Dampier had another motivation besides the All-Star snub, with big man Drew Gooden returning to the court after missing four games with a strained ribcage and perhaps threatening his playing time.

"I think the guys are looking for me more around the basket and a lot of that is because of Jason Kidd," Dampier said. "He has the ball in his hands a lot, so I try to present myself under the basket and try to score whenever I get the ball inside."

In Dampier's six seasons with Dallas, the Mavericks are 35-11 when he records a double-double and 70-19 when he scores at least 10 points.

Terry finished with a game-high 24 points off the bench. Nowitzki added 23 points, while Barea (14), Howard (14) and Marion (10) all scored in double figures. Kidd dished out 11 assists. The Mavericks shot 55.4 percent, including 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from 3-point range, and were 22-for-23 at the stripe.

Aaron Brooks led five Rockets in double figures with 22 points, 19 in the first half. It was his seventh straight double-digit effort, matching a career-long streak set last March. Luis Scola was the only other Houston starter in double figures with 12. Carl Landry (19), David Andersen (13) and Kyle Lowry (12) continue to provide scoring punch off the bench for a team playing without injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

Houston managed to build a 37-28 lead in the first quarter thanks to sloppy play by the Mavs and sharp shooting by Brooks. Dallas had seven turnovers in the period, after committing just nine in Saturday's win against Toronto. Brooks made his first five shots, missing only a 40-foot heave at the horn and racking up 14 points. Houston was 14-for-22 in the quarter.

The Rockets extended their lead to 56-39 on Andersen's hook shot with 5:25 left in the half and went ahead 61-47 on a three-point play by Landry with 3:04 remaining. But Dampier's alley-oop slam on a feed from Kidd touched off a run of 14 unanswered points by the Mavericks, wrapped around the intermission. Dallas tied it at 61-61 on two free throws by Nowitzki and took the lead for good at 65-64 on Nowitzki's 10-footer with 8:20 remaining in the third.

Houston only managed 13 points in that decisive third quarter, shooting 5-for-22 overall (22.7 percent) and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.

"Maybe it was too easy," Houston coach Rick Adelman said of the big first-half lead. "We were making a ton of shots, but we weren't stopping them at the other end. And then when it shifted the last four minutes of that second quarter, we never got it back. They had it rolling at that point."

Adelman remains tied for 11th place on the NBA's all-time victory list with 864. His next chance to break the tie with mentor Jack Ramsay is at home Wednesday against Memphis.

This loss was similar to Houston's last appearance in Dallas, when the Rockets squandered a shot to clinch their first division title in 15 years. The Mavericks overcame a 14-point deficit and won 95-84 in the regular-season finale and Houston finished second in the Southwest to the Spurs.

"You know Dallas is going to make runs here," Rockets forward Shane Battier said. "They've done it for years and they've got guys who can make shots. You have to really guard the entire time and if you let down defensively, they're going to take advantage."