Irving and Flagg turn the Houston rematch into a fourth-quarter answer

What changed

Dallas finally changed the ending against Houston. The Mavericks came back from 11 down in the second half and won 116-111, opening NBA Cup group play at 1-0 while giving the Rockets their first loss of the season.

Kyrie Irving scored 35 points with nine assists, Cooper Flagg added 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and the pair combined for 27 points in a 40-point Dallas fourth quarter. Daniel Gafford supplied 18 points and two blocks. The Mavericks shot 51.9 percent overall, then went 9-for-10 at the line in the fourth.

The finish mattered as much as the totals. Irving's early fourth-quarter threes steadied the comeback, and Flagg delivered a three-point play with 1:40 left before hitting a turnaround jumper in the final half-minute. That was shared closing work, not one star waiting for the other to take over.

Interpretation: Houston's 7-for-29 night from three created some of the opening, but Dallas still had to punish it. The encouraging part is that the Mavericks did so with cleaner half-court creation and two reliable decision-makers late. The next test is whether that balance travels when the opponent shoots closer to expectation.