Sizzling-Hot Mavs Look 'Special' In Shocking 3rd Straight Win Under New Coach Dusty May

Kyrie Irving scored 26 of his 35 points after halftime on Friday night to team up with Cooper Flagg adding 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Dallas Mavs recorded a third straight win - and a third straight upset - with a 116-111 win over Houston at the AAC.

The loss was Houston’s first of the season and came in the opening game of Emirates NBA Cup group play for both teams. ... and it pushed Dallas to 4-2. Those two games above .500 are the first for the Mavericks since March 3, 2025, the night Irving tore the ACL in his left knee.

That, relatively speaking, is sizzling.

And this group - with new coach Dusty May doing the speaking - is "special.''

Said May, in charge of his first NBA team after having been hired away from the University of Michican this offseason: “I haven’t been around very many teams, but this group feels like a very special group of human beings first. And they’re working like crazy to get better basketball.”

How "special''? Time will tell.

How "crazy'' is the proof that the work to improve is paying off? Note that just nine days earlier, Houston beat Dallas 128-110 at Toyota Center in the season-opener for both teams. ... and the performance was an embarrassment, reminding disillusioned Mavs fans of just how recent last year's 26-win effort was.

But now?

Irving is in a groove. He shot 12-of-19 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line, finishing with those 35 points, along with four rebounds and nine assists.

Flagg went 13-of-19 from the floor and 7-of-10 at the line, adding two steals and a block in 39 minutes.

Both guys made crunch-time buckets to lead to the upset of a Rockets team that dropped to 4-1.

“Well, we’re extremely excited to win a game that was in the trenches,” May said. "I can’t imagine that there’s too many teams tougher than the Rockets.''

The same could be said of the Miami Heat and the OKC Thunder ... but this week, the underdog Mavs registered wins against them as well.

The oddsmakers pegged Dallas as a lowly 35-game winner this season. That would mark an improvement over last year, when Flagg's Rookie of the Year campaign was about the only thing to root for.

But at this moment? There are reasons for real optimism around here.

Said Irving: "In order to be considered the best in this league, you’ve got to bring the energy every single night.''

If May's Mavs can really do something along that level? Maybe this collection of "human beings'' has a chance to be far more "special'' that anyone could have predicted.