Houston exposes Dallas early; Flagg supplies the answer

What changed

Dallas wanted the Macao opener to reveal problems that practice could not. Houston obliged. The Rockets never trailed, built a 25-point first-half lead and beat the Mavericks 135-117 in Dusty May’s first preseason game as Dallas coach.

Houston’s execution was the sharper part of the comparison. The Rockets made half of their 36 three-point attempts and recorded 36 assists on 47 baskets. Dallas played without six players and used preset minute allocations, but the early gap still showed how quickly a connected offense can punish late rotations and uneven transition coverage.

Cooper Flagg supplied the best Dallas stretch. After scoring two points in the first quarter, he produced 17 in the second and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists on 7-of-14 shooting in 19 minutes. He sat after halftime as planned. Dallas also received 16 points from Naji Marshall and 11 points with six assists from Sergio de Larrea.

The score is less useful as a forecast than the contrast it created. Dallas looked more competitive after halftime, but Houston repeatedly turned an extra pass into an open shot. Sunday’s rematch offers a quick test of whether the Mavericks communicate earlier, organize the half-court offense more cleanly and carry Flagg’s force into lineups that include Kyrie Irving.