4 thoughts from the Mavericks’ 135-117 preseason loss to the Houston Rockets in Macao

The Dallas Mavericks tipped off a four-game preseason slate on Friday against the Houston Rockets, losing 135-117 at the Venetian Arena in Macao, China.

Dallas’ goal in the preseason opener was clearly to get a good look at all the new players on the roster, to see how the rookies mix in and to see what pieces fit where. Both Morez Johnson Jr. and, inexplicably, Daniel Gafford hit 3-pointers in the first quarter for the Mavericks, but the Rockets led 27-19 after one as Yao Ming looked on from his courtside seats.

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Cooper Flagg stood alone in the second for the Mavs, as the rest of the team looked stuck in the mud on the offensive end. The Rockets built a lead as large as 23 before taking a 65-45 lead into the halftime break. The Mavs pulled to within on 27-23 on an alley-oop dunk by Flagg early in the second before the Rockets outscored Dallas 38-22 for the rest of the half. Tari Eason hit a 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired to end a Mavs mini-run late in the quarter and give the Rockets 20-point edge at the break.

The Mavs cut into the lead early in the third before the Rockets built it back to 20-plus late in the third and early in the fourth, behind a game-high 20 points from Tari Eason and 17 more from Fed VanVleet. Flagg led Dallas with 19 points in the loss, and Naji Marshall added 16.

Flagg pours it on

From tipoff, Cooper Flagg was getting after it on the defensive end. Though he was credited with just one steal in the first quarter, he forced the Rockets into three of their first five turnovers. He scored just one bucket in the first quarter, an uncontested drive and dunk as both teams were dipping their feet into the preseason water.

Flagg made a couple of highlight plays early in the second, blocking Amen Thompson’s driving layup attempt on one end before receiving an alley-oop to finish off the break on the other as he scored Dallas’ first four points of the frame. He picked up his third foul of the game with 9:22 left in the second quarter, but head coach Dusty May left him in for a few minutes because, hey, it’s the first preseason game of the year. Flagg rewarded May by hitting…

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Publish date : 2026-10-09 14:34:00

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