The Dallas Mavericks’ 2026-27 season kicked off with a rough one, getting absolutely blown out by Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, 128-110, on Wednesday night. What started as a manageable 32-26 deficit after the first quarter quickly spiraled out of control when the Mavs got outscored a brutal 38-12 in the second, effectively deciding the game right then and there. Even though Dallas fought back to outscore Houston 72-58 in the second half, it was way too late to dig out of that hole. It was a total mixed bag for their two stars, 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg and 34-year-old Kyrie Irving, who was back on the court for his first real NBA game in nearly 600 days after an ACL injury.
Flagg’s Second-Half Takeover Was Unreal
Seriously, **Cooper Flagg** showed out. The kid finished the game with a monstrous, game-high **32 points** on 10-17 from the field and an insane 11-13 from the free-throw line. He also snagged **five rebounds**, dished **two assists**, grabbed **three steals**, and even got a **block** in his 33 minutes. The crazy part? He poured in 23 of those 32 points in the second half alone. Mavs head coach **Dusty May** was all over it, saying Flagg was “setting us up.” May noted, “In the first half I thought he was being very intentional with getting his teammates shots, and then, in the second half, we did a better job of getting some off-ball movement. We played a little bit faster, and then obviously if you’re not taking the ball out of the net, you can get it up and attack quickly. I thought that was the biggest difference. We just , our pace got a lot better in the second half.” May also loved Flagg’s ability to get to the charity stripe 13 times, a huge plus since Dallas struggled with free throws in the preseason. “That’s been a point of emphasis,” May stated, adding, “We thought [Flagg] was the best way to capitalize in the paint. I thought he was strong. I thought he made good decisions. When we start knocking down some open shots, his assist numbers will increase.”
Irving’s Quiet Return and the Road Ahead
**Kyrie Irving’s** big return saw him finish with **15 points** on an ultra-efficient 6-9 shooting, plus **four rebounds**, **two assists**, and a **steal**. He, like Flagg, also had **four turnovers**. The catch? Houston’s defense basically shut down his shot attempts, limiting him to just nine field-goal tries. Coach May confirmed it wasn’t by design, saying, “He’s obviously the focal point. They put two on the ball. I thought he made the right plays, the right decisions. There are going to be puzzles we’re going to have to figure out. Playing four-on-three with our other guys , we’ve got to do a better job and find some solutions.” Despite the tough night, May gave props to Irving’s leadership in the second half. “But I thought there in the second half, he showed a real , his true character , in being a leader when things weren’t going well, I thought he set a great example. Our bench was phenomenal. They were cheering for each other. We’re worried about getting better, especially starting with a couple g”
This Mavs squad is clearly still figuring things out, especially with a talent like **Flagg** bursting onto the scene and **Irving** shaking off nearly 600 days of rust. They’ve got “puzzles” to solve, as Coach May put it, but the signs of fight in the second half and Flagg’s insane scoring ability give Dallas fans something real to cheer about even after a brutal opener.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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