The Dallas Mavericks
got blown out 128-110 against the Houston Rockets
on Wednesday night in their season opener. The game was actually quite competitive for three of the four quarters, but an abysmal second quarter saw the Mavs largely get dismantled. Only able to muster a paltry 12 points while yielding 38, Dallas couldn't overcome the second quarter swoon despite outscoring Houston by 14 points in the second half.
Cooper Flagg looked amazing in a 32-point effort and his pairing with Kyrie Irving – who dropped 15 points of his own on 6-of-9 shooting – made for some enjoyable basketball. Aside from Flagg and Irving, Naji Marshall put together a solid game off the bench (16 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds), but the performances largely fell off from there. Then there was Marcus Sasser.
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Sasser was acquired in the large six-team deal that also netted Dallas Santi Aldama and Tarik Biberovic back in July. He was well-regarded when he entered the league during the 2023-2024 season with the Detroit Pistons
, but saw his role progressively dwindle as his tenure in Detroit went on. His minutes per game dropped year-over-year, and along with that, his points, assists and rebounds per game decreased year-over-year as well. The emergence of Cade Cunningham certainly didn't help Sasser's cause, but what he would bring to the Mavericks remained a question mark.
A Red Oak, TX native, Sasser played college ball at the University of Houston, so even though the season opener was a road game, Sasser surely felt right at home. It's reasonable to believe the venue contributed to his comfort level, but after missing the first three preseason games, his performance on Wednesday night was more than impressive.
First Quarter
With 6:50 remaining in the first quarter, Sasser checked in for Max Christie. Just over a minute later, he dished his first assist to P.J. Washington. 30 seconds after that, he canned his first shot; a three-pointer. He then checked out at the 3:37 mark.
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Second Quarter
Sasser got about five minutes of burn and managed to get a steal in what proved to be a nightmare quarter for the Mavs. Even with little statistical output, he looked poised on the floor and showed he could orchestrate a bit.
Third Quarter
Sasser checked in, again for Christie, with 6:48 remaining in the frame and played out the quarter. He committed a foul, then drilled a three and showed off his midrange game with a made floater from 14 feet out.
Fourth Quarter
Coach May must have liked what he was seeing as the Mavs chipped away, because Sasser opened the fourth quarter. He missed his first shot from 19 feet, then canned another three. He then hit another floater from 12 feet, got fouled and hit the free throw for a personal six-point run. He had a heat check with a missed three on the next possession, but that was the last time he would miss a shot. He checked out, then returned with four minutes left in the game. From there, he committed a turnover, then grabbed a rebound which he turned into another three-pointer five seconds later.
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On the night, Sasser dropped in 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (4-of-5 from deep), and had a single rebound, assist and steal. All this in just under 24 minutes of play. Is it reasonable to expect this type of performance every night, or was this a byproduct of playing back in his old college town? We have 81 games left to find out, but what we saw Wednesday night was very promising. The Mavericks are somewhat guard-light and we should expect Irving to have his fair share of rest games throughout the season. They are going to need a true guard who can both fill that gap and otherwise come off the bench as a viable sixth man. After the small sample size of Wednesday, it's not difficult to imagine Sasser bringing the heat in the second unit, and it's especially intriguing to think of what he may be able to do alongside Marshall if the latter continues to come off the bench.
The cherry on top? Sasser had this to say about his highly efficient performance: "I feel like I could have played better defensively, especially impacting the ball a little more."
Sasser has an insane 6'7" wingspan relative to his 6'1" height. The physical tools are there for a rangy defender, and the fact that his focus was on what he could have done better, as opposed to what he did well, also bodes well. Dallas may have unearthed a hidden gem from the team's own backyard in Sasser.
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