Revenge Night Doubles as Cup Night: Mavs Get the Unbeaten Rockets Again, and This Time the Turnovers Have to Stay Home

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RF Sports Radio branded title card with Mavericks wordmark: Tonight, Rockets at Mavericks, 7 p.m. CT, NBA Cup group play opener

By Marcus Delaney, RF Sports Radio Mavericks voice

Mavs Nation, the last time Dallas saw Houston, it was opening night and it got ugly. Nine days later the Rockets come back to American Airlines Center undefeated, and the Mavericks get a do-over with something extra on the line.

The facts

Houston (5-0) visits Dallas (3-2) tonight at 7 p.m. Central, the first NBA Cup game for both teams. The Rockets won the season opener 128-110, with Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scoring 30 apiece, per Fadeaway World. Cooper Flagg had 32 on 10-of-17 shooting in that loss, per SI. Dallas turned it over 21 times that night, and Houston turned those mistakes into 32 points.

Dallas has won three of four since. Wednesday's 120-96 win over Oklahoma City came with only nine turnovers and 25 assists, and Flagg is averaging 25.3 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds, per SI. Houston beat Milwaukee 132-100 on Wednesday without Alperen Sengun and Marcus Smart. Fred VanVleet scored 24, including 15 straight in the third quarter, per Fadeaway World.

The injury reports, per SI's preview: Dallas lists Dereck Lively II and Sergio de Larrea out, Santi Aldama and Tarik Biberovic doubtful, and Naji Marshall questionable with an illness. Houston lists Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, Quadir Copeland and Julian Phillips out, with Sengun and Smart questionable. The NBA Cup schedule puts Dallas and Houston in West Group A with Denver.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this game is about the ball, not the stars. Twenty-one turnovers in the opener, nine on Wednesday. If the Mavericks are anywhere near that second number tonight, they are in the game. If they creep back toward 20, it will not matter what Flagg does.

The second fight is the glass. Fadeaway World noted Houston grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to Dallas' eight in the opener, and with Lively still out, Daniel Gafford is carrying the paint mostly by himself. I want P.J. Washington crashing, I want the guards helping, and I want everybody in a white jersey treating every miss like it matters.

And let's be honest about the Cup. It is a regular-season game that counts twice. Group A has Denver in it. Dropping your Cup opener at home to a division rival is how you end up chasing math in late November. Win tonight and the Mavericks control their own lane.

One more thing. Dusty May's group has now beaten Miami and Oklahoma City in back-to-back games. Beat an unbeaten Houston team and this stops being a nice start and starts being a real one.

What to watch next

Watch Marshall's status at shootaround and whether Sengun plays. For our recap of the Thunder blowout, read our Oct. 29 Thunder recap, and follow the team on our Dallas Mavericks page.

Radio question: what decides tonight, the Mavs' turnover number or Houston's offensive rebounds, and which one scares you more?

Sources: SI - Rockets vs. Mavericks prediction, odds and player to watch for NBA Cup group play; Fadeaway World - Mavericks vs. Rockets preview and injury report; NBA.com - Group Play schedule for Emirates NBA Cup 2026; Bleacher Report - Rockets at Mavericks, Oct. 30, 2026.

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