The Houston Rockets Defeat the Dallas Mavericks in Opening Game

The Houston Rockets put up a dominant performance in the opening game, as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 128 to 110.

Houston impressed in many categories, but the ball movement and spacing on the court were the most impressive, as they were a vast improvement from last season. The return of Fred VanVleet was the catalyst, as he put on an elite ball-handling and playmaking performance. He dished out 11 assists without committing a single turnover.

The Rockets’ three-point shooting also showed solid signs of improvement, as the team connected on 16 out of the 36 three-point shots attempted. This statistic is even more impressive when considering that Reed Sheppard went 1-of-6 from deep.

Kevin Durant continued to prove he is one of the best scorers of all time, dropping 30 points across 37 minutes. In doing so, Durant surpassed Michael Jordan for most points scored in the opening game of the NBA season. Durant now has 458 points scored in season openers and has claimed the third-highest total in this category, sitting behind only Karl Malone and LeBron James.

I was slightly surprised that Durant played 37 minutes, since the Rockets had a 24-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Despite the large lead, Durant played most of the fourth quarter, as he was subbed out with only 2:42 remaining. This might be because it was the season opener, but I would expect his minutes to be managed more cautiously moving forward.

Houston’s second unit displayed how effective it can be, even with Tari Eason getting ejected for committing a flagrant 2 in the first quarter, after only being on the court for approximately three minutes. The second unit played a crucial role in giving the Rockets a 32-point lead at halftime.

Marcus Smart was the leader of the second unit, recording 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists across 26 minutes, with an impressive +14. Surprisingly, Sheppard only played 16 minutes and dished out 4 assists while committing 3 turnovers. I was expecting him to play off the ball more often, but he was given a lot of responsibilities as an on-the-ball playmaker.

For the Mavericks, Cooper Flagg was by far the team’s best player, and he looks set to have another huge season ahead of him on a struggling Dallas team. Flagg put up 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.

Flagg will certainly need his teammates to take some weight off of his shoulders if Dallas is to have a chance of making the playoffs this postseason.

Houston has earned confidence and respect in this dominant victory, and they will try to carry this momentum forward as they face the San Antonio Spurs in their next game on Friday, October 23.