May frames Macao as Dallas’ first real diagnostic

What changed

Dusty May is giving the Mavericks’ first two preseason games a purpose bigger than the scoreboard. After Friday’s sixth camp practice, he said the trip to Macao should help Dallas identify its holes on both ends and the things it can rely on when the game slows down.

Houston is a useful first test because its athleticism and switching can squeeze the Mavericks’ offense, while its skill can stress Dallas defensively. The teams play October 9 and 11 at The Venetian Arena, the first live games for a roster and coaching staff still learning one another.

That makes the useful viewing questions fairly concrete: which combinations keep their spacing when Houston switches, who communicates through pressure, and what Dallas can still execute when an easy transition chance is not there. May still wants his team competing; he is simply treating what the games reveal as more important than a preseason result.