‘Always Fun Playing Here’: Marcus Sasser Scores 17 In Dallas Mavericks Regular-Season Debut Back In Houston

HOUSTON — Marcus Sasser scored 17 points off the bench Wednesday night in his first regular-season game with the Dallas Mavericks, in the city where he played four college seasons. The Houston Rockets won the season opener 128-110 at Toyota Center.

Sasser went 6-of-8 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and 1-of-1 at the line in 23:42. He added 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

The Dallas native played at Red Oak High School and then at the University of Houston from 2019 to 2023. As a senior, he was a consensus first-team All-American, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and the winner of the Jerry West Award.

The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Sasser 25th overall in 2023, and he spent his first three NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 5.2 points in 38 games last season and shot 41.5% from 3-point range. Dallas acquired him on July 8 in a six-team trade that also brought in Santi Aldama and the draft rights to Tarik Biberović.

Left adductor tightness kept Sasser out of the Mavericks’ first three preseason games, including both games against Houston in Macao.

Sasser still sees familiar faces in the crowd in Houston. Playing in front of the fans he used to play for is always fun, he said.

“It was fun. Like I said, it’s always just fun playing in front of the fans that I used to play in front of and seeing some of the familiar faces out there,” Sasser said. “So it was always fun playing here for sure.”

Marcus Sasser On His Second-Half Mindset

Sasser hit a transition 3-pointer from Naji Marshall with 5:10 left in the first quarter for an 18-13 lead, matching Dallas’ largest of the night. He did not attempt a shot in 5:25 of the second quarter, when Houston outscored Dallas 38-12.

The Mavericks let their offense determine their defense in that stretch, in Sasser’s view.

“Feel like we just let go of the rope a little bit and let our offense kind of determine our defense,” Sasser explained. “Missed a good amount of shots and led to them getting easy buckets.”

In the second quarter, Sasser passed up a 3-pointer. He took a similar shot after halftime and made it, and he credited his teammates for the confidence to shoot.

“Just being ultra aggressive. I feel like I passed up a couple shots in the first half,” Sasser said. “So just trusting myself and my teammates kept giving me confidence to shoot the ball, so that was the difference between first and second.”

Sasser scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half. He hit a transition 3-pointer from Kyrie Irving and a floater from Cooper Flagg during an 18-5 run to close the third quarter. In the fourth, he scored 9 points, including a 3-pointer from Zaccharie Risacher with 9:56 left that made it 103-83 and a three-point play 50 seconds later.

Dallas had open shots in both halves, Sasser said, and made more of them after halftime. Houston was cross-matched a lot in the second half.

“I feel like we touched the paint more second half. I feel like we had open shots both halves, but I feel like we knocked more down second half, so that helped,” Sasser said. “But playing with more pace, they was cross-matched second half a lot, so I feel like that helped us as well.”

Houston’s length calls for ball fakes and decisiveness from guards like Sasser. He got a lot of open shots, he said.

“They’re a good long team. So you just gotta use your ball fakes and be decisive in what you’re doing,” Sasser said. “Use your speed, but I feel like we did a good job doing that for sure. I got a lot of open shots.”

Sasser’s own grade starts on defense. He wanted to impact the ball more.

“I feel like I could have played better defensively, especially impacting the ball more. I feel like they were a little comfortable getting into their sets and stuff,” Sasser said. “So I feel like I could have been better there for sure.”

Cooper Flagg And Kyrie Irving On Marcus Sasser

Sasser has been dealing with an injury through most of the preseason and much of training camp, according to Flagg. He described Sasser as a scorer who can also pass and pick up full-court.

“Sass has been great. Obviously, he’s dealt with an injury through most of preseason, a lot of training camp where he wasn’t able to be full practice,” Flagg said. “And so I think obviously, just getting him back, getting into game shape, and I think he’d be really good for us. I mean, he’s a really, obviously really good scorer … can pass it and play defense, pick up 94. So just having him bring that energy and be composed and get into game shape can be good for us.”

Irving watched Sasser take pressure off him as a second lead guard who can create and make decisions.

“Man, he was ultra aggressive and I think he did an incredible job of coming in and maintaining our possession by possession,” Irving said. “They were kind of attacking in the second half, we won both quarters. And third and fourth, obviously that’s not good enough, but he had a lot to do with us getting back into the game, being that other lead guard that can create and make decisions and take some pressure off myself. So really proud of him having a great game, very impactful, and I just want him to keep it up.”

Irving and Flagg combined with Sasser for all 18 points of the late third-quarter run. Getting the two of them going makes it easier for everybody else, Sasser said.

“Hey, that’s what they do. They’re great players and I feel like that’s what you’re gonna need going forward,” Sasser said. “So that just gives us a confidence boost, especially when them two guys are going. It kinda make it easier for everybody else.”

Dallas fought back after trailing by 37, which Sasser saw as a start to build on in the first game.

“It’s tough man, especially when you get down that big. Versus a good offensive team like that,” Sasser said. “But I feel like we did a good job for the first game, just fighting back, not just laying down. So we got some work to do, but I feel like we did all right.”

The Mavericks play at the Indiana Pacers on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.