MACAO — The Dallas Mavericks attempted 51 3-pointers Friday in their first game under coach Dusty May. The Houston Rockets won the preseason opener 135-117 at The Venetian Arena.
Dallas made 18-of-51, or 35.3%. The Mavericks went 4-of-15 from 3-point range in the first quarter and 6-of-26 in the first half, then made 12-of-25 after halftime. Houston outscored them 54-50 in the paint and 28-18 in second-chance points.
Max Christie went 4-of-11 from 3-point range, and Tarik Biberovic went 3-of-8. Centers Daniel Gafford and Morez Johnson Jr. each hit one in the first quarter. Sergio de Larrea went 3-of-3.
Dusty May Says Houston Took Away The Paint
Dallas got little rim pressure, May said, and the Mavericks shot tough shots when they did reach the paint in the first half.
“We took a lot of pride in taking what the game gives us, and with the lineups we had, with what we thought the strengths of our players on the court were, we decided to go into a different type of game. And we didn’t get much rim pressure, but also Houston is a team that, they take away the paint, they play with great activity, they are a ball defense,” May said. “And so I thought we settled down in the first half. They had us sped up. And when we did get the paint, we shot tough shots over some good defenders, good long athletic defenders.”
“And I thought the second half we found the right players, we got to actions quicker, we moved the ball better. And we just, we want to try to hunt great shots, whether that’s a dunk, whether that’s a back-cut layup, or if they’re gonna collapse and we can’t finish without angle, then we need to pass it to the open guy,” May continued. “And I thought the second half especially we did that. The first half it was, we just couldn’t finish possessions. They were able to capitalize on the offensive glass. I thought that was the biggest difference in point discrepancy.”
Houston grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half and turned them into a 19-10 edge in second-chance points. Dallas outscored the Rockets 72-70 after halftime.
Cooper Flagg Expects More Threes From Faster Mavericks
Cooper Flagg went 1-of-5 from 3-point range and scored 19 points in 19:02. Dallas has a lot of 3-point shooters who are comfortable stepping into shots, he said.
“Definitely, yeah. I think obviously we have a different identity, different culture. We’re trying to play faster, sharing the ball more. So I think naturally we’re gonna fall into some more threes and some easier ones too,” Flagg said. “I think just passing the ball and kind of just playing through the pass a little bit more. So it would definitely fall into some more threes. But I think we also just have a lot of three-point shooters, guys that are comfortable stepping in and knocking shots down.”
Flagg’s own scoring came mostly inside the arc. He made 3 pull-up jumpers from 14 to 16 feet in a 5:18 stretch of the second quarter, and he said playing against Kevin Durant over the years has taught him a lot.
“Just being comfortable getting to my spots. And somebody like KD, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from him just playing against him over the years,” Flagg explained. “But just getting to your spots and playing at a slow pace. So that’s definitely something I’ve worked on, the spots that I like to get to on the court.”
The Mavericks and Rockets meet again Sunday at The Venetian Arena, with tip-off set for 5 a.m. CT. Dallas returns home for preseason games Oct. 14 and Oct. 16 before opening the regular season Oct. 21 at Houston.
