‘Sass Is Back Playing’: Dallas Mavericks Clear Marcus Sasser For Preseason Debut, Sit Max Christie And Tarik Biberović Against Atlanta Hawks
DALLAS — Marcus Sasser will make his preseason debut Friday night when the Dallas Mavericks close their exhibition schedule against the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center, Mavericks coach Dusty May said before the game. Rookie Morez Johnson Jr. will also play, while Max Christie and Tarik Biberović will sit.
May opened his pregame availability with the injury report. Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II remain out. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game airs locally on KFAA and MavsTV.
Marcus Sasser Returns From Left Adductor Injury
Sasser has missed all three of Dallas’ preseason games with a left adductor injury. The team listed him with left adductor soreness for both games in Macao and with left adductor tightness for Wednesday’s 101-97 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On Thursday, Sasser said he slipped during a practice and overstretched the muscle.
Dallas acquired Sasser from the Detroit Pistons in a six-team trade on July 8. In 38 games for Detroit last season, he averaged 5.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.
Atlanta’s guards will be the first defense Sasser sees in a Mavericks uniform. May wants his guards, and the young ones in particular, to feel that kind of pressure before the regular season starts.
“Sass was playing well before he had the tweak. He’s a connector, he’s a good defender, he’s obviously a floor spacer with his shooting ability,” May said. “He’s been a good decision-maker with the ball in his hands, and that’s another reason.”
“We’re playing Atlanta, and to feel and see this pressure, it’s great for our guards,” May continued. “It’s a great experience, especially for our young players, who some of them we’ve kind of thrust them into a new type of play. And so they’re going to teach us about ourselves tonight.”
Sasser played four seasons at Houston. As a senior in 2022-23, he was a consensus All-American and won the Jerry West Award, and he went 25th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Max Christie, Tarik Biberović Sit As Santi Aldama, Dereck Lively II Stay Out
May did not give a reason for sitting Christie, who scored 14 points in each of Dallas’ two games in Macao. Last season, Christie averaged a career-high 12.3 points in 77 games and shot 40.4% from three.
Biberović is out with right heel bursitis. He came to Dallas in the same six-team trade that brought Sasser and Aldama, and he signed a multi-year contract with the Mavericks on July 10 after playing for Fenerbahçe.
Aldama has not played in the preseason. He had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on March 17, when he was still with the Memphis Grizzlies, and May said Thursday that the forward is “getting much, much closer.” Lively has not played since Nov. 21, 2025. He had surgery on his right foot in December.
Johnson missed the last two games with right shin splints after starting at center in his NBA debut in Macao. He will play within a range of minutes, and so will everyone else on the roster Friday. The finale is the last exhibition before Dallas opens the regular season Wednesday in Houston.
“It won’t be the full game,” May explained. “I know some teams are ramping up to where it looks like the rotation for their final preseason game or one of their finals. It won’t look like that for us. We have a range for each and every guy. But some of the more regular players who are 100% healthy, they’ll play more than they played the last couple games.”
Dallas is 1-2 in the preseason, and Atlanta is 3-1. The Mavericks open the regular season Oct. 21 at the Houston Rockets, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
