3 Overreactions As Mavericks Get Trampled By Rockets in Season Opener

The Dallas Mavericks started the 2026-27 regular season against the in-state rival Houston Rockets.

Someone should've let the Mavericks know that.

It was a fun first quarter, with the Mavericks starting 6/10 from three, with a showcase of great ball movement, versatile lineups, and a lot of depth.

It started to fall off the rails on a missed goaltending call that would've given the Mavericks a bucket in the closing minute.

The second quarter was one of the worst quarters you could possibly watch in the NBA. The Mavericks missed their next 17 three-point attempts, were outscored 38-12 in the frame, and had eight turnovers.

It emphasized a lot of the team's weaknesses, and they looked glaring as they entered the halftime break with a 70-38 deficit.

The Mavericks don't have the shooting or natural scorers to help make up that kind of deficit, so the second half was smooth sailing for the Rockets. The Mavericks started to make a dent in the fourth with some zone and fastbreaks, but the Rockets still went on to win, 128-110.

Cooper Flagg was fantastic, finishing with 32 points on an efficient 10/17 shooting from the field, the most points by a teenager in NBA history in a season opener.

It has only been one game, but it was mostly a bad one, so let's overreact.

Oct 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Minutes Without Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving Could Be Rough

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are great players. They can do a lot of different things with the ball in their hands.

The Rockets spent a lot of time double-teaming Irving when he had the ball, forcing others to beat them. The other Mavericks often could not.

P.J. Washington had a strong first quarter and Naji Marshall had a few strong buckets, but it was ROUGH outside of that.

There just isn't enough reliable scoring and playmaking on this roster, which brings me to the next overreaction.

The Offense Can't Be THIS Bad, Right?

If the Mavericks want to make the postseason in any form, they have to find scoring and playmaking, and likely in a trade. They just have too many guys on the roster who rely on others to create the open looks.

It can't just be Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg. There has to be someone that the Mavericks can get who can provide some source of offense.

It's not going to be Zaccharie Risacher. Or Tarik Biberovic. Or Max Christie. Or Santi Aldama. Or whoever else you want to throw in there. It's simply just not enough scoring or playmaking.

Oct 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson (1) drives with the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Transition Defense Looks to Be an Early Issue

In a game this non-competitive, there are normally a lot of issues. The offense was one issue, but the transition defense was arguably the biggest.

The Rockets scored 29 fastbreak points in this game, getting a lot of opportunities off turnovers, airballed threes, and long rebounds. It felt worse than that. They were constantly beating the Mavericks down the floor, and that could simply be a lack of athleticism from the Mavericks.

Missing Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama doesn't help with this, as they could at least offer some rim protection. But just watching dunk after dunk from the Rockets was horrific to watch.

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