Dallas Mavericks News and Rumors Page 9 - NBA

Naji Marshall - Could work more as facilitator Marshall tallied 16 points (7-14 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to Houston.

Impact Marshall got to start for a short-handed Mavericks team in their preseason opener, but that's expected to change once the regular season begins. Noah Weber of TheSmokingCuban.com believes Marshall's playmaking and finishing prowess could allow him to operate more as a point guard off the bench this year, so the forward should still handle a significant role as a member of the second unit.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Klay Thompson Gets Candid on Time With Dallas Mavericks Klay Thompson admits that his time with the Mavericks wasn't what he expected.

OCTOBER 9 • SI.COM

Sergio De Larrea already gave Mavericks reason to trust him as Kyrie Irving's backup Sergio De Larrea just made the Mavericks' battle for the backup point guard spot behind Kyrie Irving much more interesting with a strong pre...

OCTOBER 9 • THESMOKINGCUBAN.COM

Mavericks fixed one 3-point problem but exposed another in preseason opener The Mavericks showed some hope of fixing one of their shooting problems, but one issue remains.

OCTOBER 9 • THESMOKINGCUBAN.COM

Zaccharie Risacher - Near double-double as starter Risacher notched nine points (4-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt), eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Impact With the Mavericks shorthanded, new head coach Dusty May started Risacher, Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Naji Marshall and rookie Morez Johnson during the preseason opener. After falling out of favor in Atlanta, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick is getting a fresh start in Dallas and making the most of his new opportunity. "I feel like we're going to be a good fit, especially on this team. We're going to play fast. We want to go," said Risacher. "We're going to play physical, and I feel like that's going to be a good fit. I like to play off-ball too, so I feel like just me being able to get to the right spot, get space, and finish those actions, that's going to be a big thing."

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Sergio De Larrea - Flashes offensive potential De Larrea posted 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-3 3Pt), six assists, two rebounds and one steal in 11 minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Impact The 2026 No. 25 overall pick displayed exactly what made him an intriguing draft prospect during the Mavericks' preseason opener, but it's going to be a hard battle for regular-season rotation minutes. Standing at 6-foot-6 barefoot with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, de Larrea boasts elite positional size that allows him to survey the floor, pick apart defenses in the pick-and-roll and comfortably see over opposing guards. He was lethal from deep against professional competition last season for Valencia Basket, draining 40.7 percent of his three-pointers on respectable volume.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Gafford - Plays off bench in opener Gafford produced seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt), three rebounds and one steal in eight minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Impact In an interesting move, new head coach Dusty May opted to start a small-ball lineup of Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher and rookie Morez Johnson in the Mavericks' preseason opener, notably leaving Gafford to play off the bench. It's unclear if this trend will continue in the regular season, but with Dallas' frontcourt banged up, including a cloudy return timeline for Dereck Lively (foot), Gafford may need to play heavy minutes even if he operates off the bench.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Tobi Lawal - Excels off bench Lawal tallied 13 points (5-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), one rebound and two steals in 15 minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Impact With the Mavericks frontcourt shorthanded, the rookie saw an expanded role and made the most of it. Lawal is an impressive athlete with the tools to develop into an elite defender, but he remains very raw offensively. The 23-year-old forward finished his senior season at Virginia Tech with averages of 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on 54/25/76 shooting splits. He'll likely see limited minutes during his rookie season, helping back up the forward spots in Dallas.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Morez Johnson Jr. - Modest production as starter Johnson totaled four points (1-3 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 12 minutes during Friday's 135-117 preseason loss to the Rockets.

Impact With Dereck Lively (foot), Santi Aldama (knee) and P.J. Washington (ankle) all sidelined, Johnson started at center in a small-ball lineup with Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Naji Marshall and Zaccharie Risacher, as Daniel Gafford operated off the bench. The rookie ended up playing only 12 minutes, but his limited action might've been precautionary, as he's been dealing with a minor lower-leg injury during training camp. While not an eye-popping box score, Johnson being thrust into the starting lineup during his first non-Summer League NBA action is encouraging for his short- and long-term fantasy value.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Preseason Game 1: Houston Rockets Highlights vs. Dallas Mavericks

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Alperen Sengun (16 points) Highlights vs. Dallas Mavericks

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Fred VanVleet (17 points) Highlights vs. Dallas Mavericks

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Tari Eason (20 points) Highlights vs. Dallas Mavericks

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Reed Sheppard (16 points) Highlights vs. Dallas Mavericks

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Mavericks Highlights vs. Houston Rockets | Preseason | October 9, 2026

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Cooper Flagg (19 PTS 6 REB) vs. Houston Rockets | Preseason | October 9, 2026

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Naji Marshall (16 PTS 3 AST) vs. Houston Rockets | Preseason | October 9, 2026

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Kyrie Irving - To play Sunday Irving is scheduled to play in Sunday's preseason rematch against Houston, Kevin Gray Jr. of AllDLLS.com reports.

Impact Irving's anticipated appearance would give Dallas an opportunity to evaluate its backcourt rotation alongside Cooper Flagg and the rest of the Mavericks' young core. The veteran guard's workload remains uncertain, but Sunday's contest could provide valuable preseason minutes as Dallas prepares for the 2026-27 regular season.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

ROCKETS at MAVERICKS | NBA PRESEASON FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | October 9, 2026

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Biggest Winners and Losers From Mavericks First Preseason Game Against Rockets The Dallas Mavericks opened the preseason on Friday against the Houston Rockets.

OCTOBER 9 • SI.COM

Cooper Flagg - Excels in exhibition Flagg recorded 19 points (7-14 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes during Friday's preseason loss to Houston.

Impact Flagg was productive in limited action, shooting 50 percent from the field while contributing across multiple categories. The second-year forward also converted all four of his free-throw attempts, offering an encouraging glimpse of his offensive development ahead of the 2026-27 regular season. Flagg figures to remain a central piece of Dallas' offense as the Mavericks work through their revamped rotation.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Cooper Flagg does it ALL😳🔥

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

New season SAME KD🚀😈

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Cooper Flagg means BUSINESS🔥😤

OCTOBER 9 • YOUTUBE

Marcus Sasser - Will miss preseason opener Sasser won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Rockets due to left adductor soreness.

Impact Sasser is competing for a bench role ahead of the 2026-27 season, and he's showing early on why he deserves a spot in the rotation, though missing time won't help his cause. Sasser averaged 5.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 38 regular-season appearances a season ago in Detroit before joining Dallas in June as part of a six-team trade.

OCTOBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

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