The Dallas Mavericks were back at home on Friday night for their first taste of the NBA Cup this season. Their opponent was a familiar one, as they'd face the Houston Rockets for the fourth time this month (twice in the preseason).

Houston dominated the first matchup after outscoring the Mavs 38-12 in the second quarter, but the Mavericks have found some success in the last few games, so this would be a good test of early-season growth.

Cooper Flagg wanted to make a statement, scoring 12 of the Mavericks' first 18 points. Really, Daniel Gafford had the first four, then Flagg had 12 of the next 14. That helped them keep pace, then an 11-2 run gave the Mavericks a 27-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter still wasn't pretty, but it wasn't as bad as the last time these teams played. As much as the offense was struggling, it was really the struggles on the defensive glass that helped the Rockets establish momentum.

Still, the Mavericks were just 5/20 from the field in the second quarter, going the middle four minutes without making a field goal. It didn't help that Cooper Flagg fouled Jabari Smith Jr. on a corner three (should've been a no-call), but it just wasn't a well-played quarter, and the Rockets held a 51-44 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was a lot of the same. Kyrie Irving had the Mavericks' first eight points of the half, but there wasn't much offense outside of that.

A thunderous dunk by Kevin Durant put the Rockets up by 10, their first double-digit lead of the game, with about five minutes remaining in the frame. Zaccharie Risacher had a couple of big-time threes, and Cooper Flagg had a few tough buckets, but a couple of bad turnovers by Walter Clayton Jr. kept the Rockets up 84-76 entering the fourth.

Kyrie Irving wouldn't let the Mavericks go quietly. He scored or assisted on five of the Mavs' first six baskets of the quarter, the last one being a deep three-pointer to give them their first lead since the second quarter, 91-88. Houston started just 1/11 from the field, which is the biggest reason Dallas got back in it and took the lead.

A lot of that run came with Cooper Flagg on the bench, so with about 5:30 in the game remaining, the Mavs brought Flagg back in to give Kyrie Irving a breather. Missed free throws by the Mavericks and offensive rebounds kept the Rockets in it, though, as a corner three from Fred VanVleet after an offensive board from Clint Capela tied the game again at 96.

Flagg scored back-to-back baskets to put them back ahead. Still, a VanVleet bucket after the timeout with three minutes to go tied the game once again. Irving hit a tough pull-up, then Kevin Durant missed back-to-back free throws (giving the Mavs fans free Chick-fil-A), and Cooper Flagg converted an and-one to make the lead 5.

Daniel Gafford left the game with about a minute left after coming down on top of Kevin Durant's foot, but would somehow be back in soon after. Durant would cut the lead to two, then, with a chance to tie, Amen Thompson ran through Kyrie Irving, but it was called a charge, which was a massive play. Except the Rockets challenged, and it was overturned (a highly questionable overturn).

Ball don't lie. Thompson missed both free throws. Then, Cooper Flagg hit a TOUGH shot over Tari Eason to make it a four-point game with 24 seconds to play. Jabari Smith Jr. drilled a tough three, then Daniel Gafford went to the line. He stepped up and made both, and the Mavs led by three with 11 seconds to play. The foul game was on from here, as even the Mavericks were fouling to stop a three.

The Mavericks would win the free-throw battle, and thus the game, 116-111. This gives the Mavericks a 4-2 record and their second straight win over a previously unbeaten team.

First Vintage Kyrie Irving Game of the Season

Kyrie Irving had been fine to start the season, but because of the minutes restrictions and more reliance on Cooper Flagg, he hadn't had a real standout game yet. This looked more like the Kyrie Irving that we were used to before the injury: hitting deep threes, finishing with both hands around the basket, and having his signature pull-ups in the mid-range.

Irving had 16 points in the fourth quarter, giving him 35 for the game, while also piling up 9 assists. He's been settling for threes a lot this season as he gets his feet back under him, but he is still capable of these kinds of throwback performances.

Rough Walter Clayton Jr. Game, Highlighting Roster Weaknesses

The Mavericks had some strong contributions from Walter Clayton Jr. this week, including 13 points against the Miami Heat on Monday. This was not that game.

He had three turnovers in the final four minutes of the third quarter, as Marcus Smart was just devouring him. With Sergio De Larrea out because of a knee sprain and Marcus Sasser not playing well enough in the first half, it really highlighted how little playmaking the Mavericks have on the roster.

How Real Are These Mavericks?

Everyone saw these first six games for the Dallas Mavericks and thought it could be a tough start to the season. All they did was start 4-2, beating the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, OKC Thunder, and Houston Rockets.

This was the first game against a massive opponent. The Pacers and Heat have struggled early, and the Thunder were a shell of themselves without Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. The Rockets were missing Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, but this felt different: to overcome an 11-point deficit against a 5-0 team is impressive.

Things look a little more generous moving forward. Their next six games are vs. Sacramento, at San Antonio, vs. Utah, vs. Brooklyn, vs. Indiana, and at Minnesota, which is without Anthony Edwards. The Mavericks could look up and find themselves with a 9-3 record and it wouldn't be that surprising.

There are flaws in this roster, for sure. But they have Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, and a great offensive system with Dusty May, who puts a lot of faith in his players. The Mavericks could be a lot better than people expected.

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