The Dallas Mavericks opened the 2026-27 regular season with a night that quickly turned ugly, and the damage was obvious long before the final buzzer. Houston’s 128-110 win was fueled by a brutal second quarter, when Dallas completely lost the thread and let the game slip away.
For a brief stretch, it looked like the Mavericks might make this interesting. They came out firing from deep, hit 6 of 10 three-pointers in the first quarter, and showed off the kind of ball movement and lineup versatility that can make them dangerous.
Then the floor tilted. A missed goaltending call that would have given Dallas a bucket in the closing minute helped swing momentum, and from there the game unraveled fast.
The second quarter was the kind of collapse that leaves a mark. Dallas missed its next 17 three-point attempts, turned it over eight times in the frame, and got blasted 38-12. By halftime, the Mavericks were staring at a 70-38 deficit, and the gap reflected exactly what the Rockets were exposing.
Cooper Flagg was the one bright spot worth hanging onto. He poured in 32 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and his performance made history as the most points by a teenager in NBA history in a season opener. Kyrie Irving also remains one of the team’s central strengths, and together with Flagg he gives Dallas two players who can do plenty with the ball.
The problem was everything around them. Houston doubled Irving often and forced the rest of the Mavericks to answer the bell.
P.J. Washington gave Dallas a strong first quarter, and Naji Marshall hit a few good shots, but outside of that the offense was a grind.
That’s where the alarm bells start ringing. Dallas simply does not have enough dependable scoring or playmaking on this roster, and if the Mavericks want to reach the postseason in any form, they may have to address that through a trade. Too many of their players need someone else to create the opening for them.
It can’t just be Irving and Flagg carrying the load. Dallas needs another source of offense, because what it has now is not enough. Zaccharie Risacher, Tarik Biberovic, Max Christie, Santi Aldama, or any other name thrown into the mix does not solve that issue on its own.
And while the offense was a mess, the transition defense may have been even worse. Houston piled up 29 fastbreak points, constantly getting out in front of turnovers, airballed threes, and long rebounds. The Rockets were flying down the floor again and again, and the Mavericks had no real answer for it.
Missing Dereck Lively II and Santi Aldama didn’t help matters, especially with rim protection, but the broader problem was plain to see. Too many Rocket dunks, too many easy runouts, too much ground being lost in a hurry. For Dallas, it was the kind of opener that shows exactly where the cracks are.
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Mavericks Opener Puts Dallas New Era Under Immediate Pressure
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Kyrie Irving gives the roster another major piece in the backcourt, while rookie Morez Johnson Jr. is part of the influx of new talent the Mavericks are counting on to reshape the rotation. For a team trying to bounce back from last season, the challenge is not just about talent but about timing, chemistry and whether a roster with this much turnover can settle in fast enough to survive a tough first test. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Opener Took A Heated Turn That Changed The Night
The Mavericks season opener quickly lost its opening-night polish when tempers flared early against Houston, turning what should have been a clean first look at the new campaign into a choppy, physical test. Even with the game still in its early stages, the Rockets had already set the tone, and the first half became more about managing the emotion in the building than settling into a rhythm.
Tari Easons night went sideways in a hurry after a confrontation with P.J. Washington escalated into a flagrant foul and an ejection, leaving Houston to adjust without him almost immediately. Still, the Rockets did not let the moment derail them, building a sizable cushion before halftime and leaving Dallas to sort through both the score and the edge that came with the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irvings Return Left Mavericks Fans With One Immediate Concern
Kyrie Irvings long-awaited return gave Mavericks fans their first real look at how the backcourt will function early in the new season, and it came on a night packed with other notable debuts and fresh starts around the league. The second night of the 2026-27 schedule also featured a slate of high-profile returns and new-team appearances, but in Dallas, all eyes were on how Irving would fit back into a group trying to sort out its identity.
The game itself offered a mixed early read on that partnership, especially with reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg now in the mix. Irving was on the floor for only 24 minutes and never returned for the fourth quarter in the loss to Houston, leaving the Mavericks with one obvious question to carry into the next stretch of the season: how quickly can this version of the team get its best players on the same page? [Read more 🡒]