What changed
Dallas left Macao with a split. Two days after Houston controlled the opener, the Mavericks won the rematch 132-115 and produced a much more balanced offensive night.
Six Mavericks reached double figures. Zaccharie Risacher scored 16, Cooper Flagg had 14 points and seven assists, and Max Christie and Naji Marshall added 14 apiece behind Irving’s 17. Dallas made 15 of 40 threes and shot 48.2% overall.
The defensive contrast was useful too. Houston made 14 of 47 threes, and Dallas recorded 10 blocked shots. The Rockets were without Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Şengün, so the result needs its preseason caveat.
What travels forward is the response: Dallas looked more organized after being stretched apart in the first meeting. The same teams open the regular season in Houston on October 21, when both lineups and the consequences will be different.
OUR INTERPRETATION
Why Dallas fans care
Interpretation: a preseason split does not erase Friday’s warning signs, but Sunday showed the Mavericks could correct some of them quickly. The regular-season opener will reveal whether the cleaner spacing and earlier defensive activity hold against Houston’s full group.