Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May, fresh off winning an NCAA championship at Michigan, received a rude welcome to the NBA from the Houston Rockets. Kyrie Irving's return after sitting out a full season was not much fun, either, because of a Houston defense that identified the eight-time All-Star guard as its top priority in his first regular-season game since sustaining a knee injury in March 2025.
The Rockets rolled to a 32-point halftime lead en route to a 128-110 win over the Mavericks in both teams' season opener Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. According to ESPN Research, it was the largest halftime deficit in a head coach's first game with a team in NBA history. "We had a couple of things that didn't go in our favor, and we just didn't hold our composure," said May.
Irving finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes. He had only four points and committed three turnovers in the first half, when Houston frequently sent a second defender at him. "Kyrie's been out 600 days and our game plan was all him," said Kevin Durant, who matched Jabari Smith Jr. with a team-high 30 points.
The Rockets blew the game open by outscoring Dallas 38-12 in the second quarter. The Mavs' transition defense was especially poor, giving up 20 fast-break points in the first half. Cooper Flagg scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, but said Dallas lacked leaders setting a defensive tone and communicating. "It really showed in that second quarter," Flagg said.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing