‘Fix The Transition Defense’: Dallas Mavericks Host Unbeaten Houston Rockets In NBA Cup Rematch Of Season Opener

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks play the Houston Rockets again Friday night, nine days after a 128-110 loss at Toyota Center opened their season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center, and the game is the first of Dallas’ four NBA Cup group-play games.

Houston is 5-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Dallas is 3-2 and has won three of four since the opener, including a 120-96 win Wednesday that handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss. Friday is the second of three straight home games for the Mavericks.

Houston Rockets Won The Opener With A 38-12 Second Quarter

The Rockets led by 6 after the first quarter on Oct. 21 and then outscored Dallas 38-12 in the second for a 70-38 halftime lead. In that period, the Mavericks went 4-of-19 from the field and 0-of-14 from 3-point range, and they committed 8 turnovers. Houston led by as many as 37 in the third quarter before Dallas won the second half 72-58.

Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points apiece for Houston. Durant shot 10-of-16, and Smith made 4 3-pointers. Alperen Şengün added 23 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting, and Amen Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Fred VanVleet, who missed all of last season with a torn right ACL, handed out 11 assists. Rockets forward Tari Eason was ejected in the first quarter after a shove on P.J. Washington.

Houston pushed the ball 9 times in the second quarter, 4 of them off Dallas turnovers, and outscored the Mavericks 9-0 in fast-break points. Mavericks coach Dusty May said afterward that a couple of breaks went against Dallas in that stretch and that the group did not hold its composure.

“First and foremost, the communication, half-court and full-court,” May said. “We’ve spent a lot of time. That was one of our priorities in training camp was to fix the transition defense. We thought we had made strides, and tonight when things weren’t going well, we just, we let go of our principles, we lost our urgency.”

“And that was ultimately when the game got away from us when they were just, we had three or four guys back and we were assuming one guy was gonna match up with Jabari or whoever,” May continued. “To be honest, they did a better job.”

Kyrie Irving scored 15 points in his first regular-season game in 597 days. Houston sent two defenders at the ball on 9 of Dallas’ 11 pick-and-roll possessions in the second quarter. The double teams off screens caught Irving by surprise in his first game back.

“And when you’re getting down 30 and you start looking at the scoreboard,” Irving said, “instead of hitting little singles and doubles, just quick hitters, getting points on the board, slowing the game down, we settled for a lot of three-pointers. And coming into halftime, we can’t have more three-pointers than we have shot attempts at the rim. We gotta touch that paint, and a switching team like this is a great challenge.”

Dallas went 11-of-37 from 3-point range in the opener, including 6-of-27 in the first half. Marcus Sasser scored 17 points off the bench and made 4 3-pointers.

Cooper Flagg scored 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting, the most by a teenager in a season opener in NBA history. Twenty-three of them came after halftime. In the second quarter, Flagg went 0-of-3 from the field and was minus-21 in 9:08. He said Dallas was not organized during Houston’s run and stopped getting back in transition.

“I mean, it’s difficult,” Flagg said. “I mean, down, what, 32 at halftime, 34? It’s not ideal. It’s not where you want to be. And honestly, that’s been the thing for us is second quarter. It’s like all preseason, it’s been bad second quarter going into the half, kind of come out in the third quarter and dig ourselves out of a hole. So we gotta find ways to combat that and have better second quarters and leave off on a good foot going into that.”

The teams split two preseason games in Macao this month. Houston won 135-117 on Oct. 9, and Dallas won two days later. They also split four meetings last season.

Alperen Şengün And Naji Marshall Questionable

Dallas listed Naji Marshall as questionable with an illness on Thursday’s injury report. He has missed the last two games after averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across the first three. Caleb Martin is available with a splint on his right thumb. In his first game of the season Wednesday, Martin scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Santi Aldama (right knee surgery) and Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis) are doubtful. Dallas ruled out Sergio De Larrea (right knee sprain) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery). Irving, who was questionable Wednesday with left knee injury management, is not on the report.

Two nights after the opener, Dallas beat the Indiana Pacers 121-105 for May’s first NBA win. Flagg missed the home opener the next night with left shoulder soreness, and the San Antonio Spurs won 122-106. He returned Monday with 29 points and 11 assists in a 113-109 win over the Miami Heat, and he had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists Wednesday against Oklahoma City. Through four games, Flagg is averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists.

Houston listed Şengün as questionable with low back soreness. He sat out Wednesday’s 132-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the first game he has missed this season. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said on SportsTalk 790 that imaging showed a minor strain and that he hopes Şengün misses “a few games at most,” the Houston Chronicle reported. Through four games, Şengün is averaging 24.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.

Marcus Smart (left forearm strain) is also questionable after missing three straight games. Reed Sheppard (low back soreness) and Steven Adams (right soleus strain) are out.

In Milwaukee, VanVleet scored 24 points and Thompson added 23. Durant had 18. Houston’s other wins came against the Spurs in Austin and against the Atlanta Hawks twice. Friday is the front end of a back-to-back for the Rockets, who host Oklahoma City at 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Toyota Center. Dallas closes its homestand Monday against the Sacramento Kings.