Flagg Drops 19 in One Half as Rockets Beat Kyrie-Less Mavs 135-117 in Macao; Irving Set for Sunday

If you set the alarm for a 7 a.m. preseason tip, Cooper Flagg made it worth your while. The rest of the roster? Still a work in progress.

Houston beat Dallas 135-117 Friday morning at The Venetian Arena in Macao in the first of two NBA China Games. Flagg played only the first half and still led the Mavs with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists on 7-of-14 shooting in 19 minutes, per Mavs Moneyball. He was 1-of-5 from three, but SI points out he took five threes in a game only 17 times all of last season. Flagg blocked Amen Thompson at one end and finished an alley-oop at the other early in the second quarter, but the Rockets still led 65-45 at the half and built the lead as high as 23.

Houston played its regular starters, and it showed. Tari Eason had a game-high 20, Fred VanVleet scored 17, and Alperen Sengun posted a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, per Yahoo Sports.

Dusty May's first lineup had rookie Morez Johnson Jr. at center in his NBA debut, Naji Marshall and Max Christie at guard, and Flagg and Zaccharie Risacher at forward, according to Dallas Sports Journal. Risacher, the 2024 No. 1 pick acquired this summer, had nine points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. Rookie Sergio de Larrea hit three threes and finished with 11 points, six assists and four turnovers, and two-way rookie Tobi Lawal scored 13 in 15 minutes. Yes, Daniel Gafford hit a three.

Six Mavs sat: Kyrie Irving (left knee rest), P.J. Washington Jr. (left ankle sprain), Marcus Sasser (left adductor soreness), Caleb Martin (illness), Santi Aldama (right knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery). Before tip, May said Irving will play in Sunday's rematch, which would be his first game since tearing his left ACL on March 3, 2025. "Simply having a floor general like him on the court with the young group I think will open up a number of things," May said.

Game 2 is Sunday at 5 a.m. Central on NBA TV, then the Mavs come home to host New Orleans on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday. Keep up with the Dallas Mavericks all preseason. Radio question: what do you want to see first from Kyrie and Flagg together?

Sources: Mavs Moneyball — Rockets 135, Mavericks 117 recap; Dallas Sports Journal — Kyrie headlines six Mavs inactives; Yahoo Sports — Sengun triple-double as Rockets beat Mavericks; SI (Mavericks) — Winners and losers from the preseason opener; Mavs.com/NBA.com — Mavericks-Rockets preview.