‘Toughness Is Off The Charts’: Dusty May Sizes Up Unbeaten Houston Rockets Before Dallas Mavericks’ NBA Cup Rematch

DALLAS — Nine days after the Houston Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 128-110 in the season opener, Mavericks coach Dusty May said Friday he is optimistic Dallas will be more comfortable against Houston’s switching defense the second time around.

The rematch tips off at 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center and opens NBA Cup group play for both teams in West Group A. Houston is 5-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Dallas is 3-2 and has won three of its four games since the opener, including Wednesday’s 120-96 win that handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss.

May listed Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Kevin Durant first when he described Houston’s length. He also said the Rockets challenge opponents in a number of areas because of how their roster is built.

“Obviously, their toughness is off the charts. They’ve built a roster of size, strength, athleticism, but also the ability to get to [the] basketball,” May said. “When you start talking about Jabari Smith and Thompson and KD, those are big, long, rangy athletes that are aggressive. And you’re not even talking about Fred, who’s one of the best steals guys in the league, and Marcus Smart, who’s just a hawk on the ball.”

“And I’m probably forgetting guys, but the way they’re built, they challenge you in a number of areas,” May continued.

In the opener at Toyota Center, Durant and Smith scored 30 points apiece. Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet, who missed all of last season with a torn right ACL, handed out 11 assists. Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, is questionable Friday with a left forearm strain after missing Houston’s last three games.

Dusty May On The Houston Rockets’ Switching Defense

Houston sent two defenders at the ball on 9 of Dallas’ 11 pick-and-roll possessions in the second quarter of the opener. The Mavericks went 4-of-19 from the field and 0-of-14 from 3-point range in that period, and the Rockets outscored them 38-12 for a 70-38 halftime lead.

The Thunder are the switching defense May said opponents see more often than Houston’s. Friday is May’s fourth game against the Rockets this month, counting two preseason games in Macao and the opener.

“I guess I’m optimistic in one way that when … we’ve always played a similar defense as they do. We felt like each time a team played us, they got a little bit more comfortable and a little … because it’s different,” May said. “Very few teams switch like they do one through four, and they fly switch and scram switch. Very few teams in our league do it as well or as frequently as they do.”

“So you don’t see it nearly as often as you do maybe what Oklahoma City does. And so each time you play them … we felt like teams got more comfortable with us each time they played us,” May continued. “So I’m optimistic that we will be, but who knows.”

A Bad Taste From Opening Night

Dallas won the second half of the opener 72-58 after trailing by as many as 37 points in the third quarter. Cooper Flagg scored 32 points, 23 of them after halftime, and Kyrie Irving had 15 in his first regular-season game in 597 days.

Friday is the first of Dallas’ four NBA Cup group-play games, and May said he does not know what the money part of the tournament is. Dallas hosts the Utah Jazz in its second group game on Nov. 6.

“Absolutely. I mean, I don’t know what the money part of it is, but we have a chance to compete for a tournament. We’re going to compete for a tournament,” May said. “So, yes, there’s a little bit added there, and also just the way we performed on opening night at Houston. I think that left a bad taste in all of our mouths. And so we’re excited to see how much we’ve improved since game one.”

The teams split two preseason games in Macao this month, with Houston winning 135-117 on Oct. 9 and Dallas winning two days later. Houston ruled out Alperen Şengün (low back soreness), Reed Sheppard, and Steven Adams. The Rockets play the second night of a back-to-back Saturday when they host Oklahoma City at 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Center.