MACAO — Cooper Flagg said Thursday that a successful NBA China Games trip for the Dallas Mavericks means competing hard no matter who is on the floor, a day before Dallas opens the preseason against the Houston Rockets.
The teams play Friday and Sunday at The Venetian Arena. Mavericks coach Dusty May said Thursday that Dallas will have a limited roster and is working on lineup combinations, and Kyrie Irving will play in only one of the two games.
Houston went 52-30 last season and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round. Dallas finished 26-56.
Cooper Flagg On Facing The Houston Rockets
San Antonio won 62 games and the Southwest Division last season, and Houston finished second in the division. The opponent on this trip made no difference to Flagg.
“No, it doesn’t really matter who we play. Obviously, those are two great teams, but I’m just excited that we get an opportunity to come out here and compete, play against somebody that’s not in a Mavericks jersey,” Flagg said. “Training camp’s been fun, but we’ve been playing against each other all summer. So I’m excited to finally get to play somebody that’s not in a Mavericks jersey.”
May wants to see how new combinations look in a real game, and Flagg expects the coaching staff to use Macao for exactly that. For the players, the goal is the effort.
“I think just going out and competing, showing the change in culture and the mindset for our team, and showing that we’re going to compete really, really hard, no matter who’s on the court, no matter what lineup,” Flagg explained. “Obviously, it’ll be good to try out some different lineups, to feel out how guys are going to play together in a real environment. So I think coach is looking forward to that. But I think for us as players, it’s just going out and competing and trying to get the most out of each other.”
Flagg played in the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio, where Duke lost to Houston in the national semifinals. He sees the same kind of preparation in Macao.
“Obviously, the time change is a big difference, but it’s a very similar process,” Flagg said. “We’re taking it very seriously as well, getting prepared and using this as a real experience for our team to kind of get ready for the season.”
Flagg won Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 games. He keeps his individual goals for his second season to himself.
“I’m definitely more of a process guy. I’ve said that all along. I said that at the start of last year, all throughout last year,” Flagg said. “Obviously everybody wants the goals, and everybody sets those goals for themselves, and I have a list of goals that are private to myself and what I want. But for me, it’s more about what I like to talk about, which is just the process: showing up every single day, working hard, and not skipping any steps to get to those goals. And I know if I show up every day and get the most out of myself, that I’ll put myself in a good position to achieve my goals.”
Cooper Flagg On His First Trip To Asia
Flagg, 19, is in Asia for the first time. Last year, Dallas held training camp at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, before a standard preseason schedule.
“It’s, I don’t want to say challenging, but it’s different. Obviously, last year we had training camp in Vancouver, and then we had a very standard preseason schedule,” Flagg said. “So it’s definitely different. It’s a different experience, but I’m thankful for it. Obviously, getting this experience to be in a new culture, a new environment, see a lot of new fans, people that haven’t been able to see us before, it’s a blessing for sure.”
Sleep was the first adjustment after the long trip over.
“Macao has been incredible. Obviously, the sleeping and stuff like that was an adjustment for the first couple of days, but I think I’m back into a good routine now,” Flagg said. “And it’s been incredible, though, just to see somewhere new.”
Flagg handled the flight itself by sleeping through most of it, with a couple of movies mixed in.
“I slept a good amount, actually. I slept probably 10 hours on the flight at least, and I watched a couple movies,” Flagg said. “I watched the Michael Jackson movie. That was a good movie.”
Fans have made it hard for Flagg to walk around Macao. He has still made it to the mall and out to dinner a few times.
“I’ve gone out a little bit. It’s tough, it’s hard to walk around a lot of the time. I mean, the fans here are crazy, which is amazing,” Flagg said. “But yeah, I’ve gone around a little bit, walked around the mall a little bit, got a couple good dinners and tried some really good food. So, I mean, it’s been a very successful trip for me so far.”
The Mavericks return home after Sunday’s game for preseason games Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston.
