Sergio de Larrea got his first taste of playing for the Dallas Mavericks. The Valladolid point guard, selected in the first round of the latest Draft, made his debut in Macau in the first of two NBA China Games matchups, and did so without missing a three-pointer: 11 points (4-for-6 shooting, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc), 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 24 minutes. The Houston Rockets won 135-117, but the Spanish player left a strong impression.
A debut with personality
De Larrea opened his account with a three-pointer in the first quarter and focused mainly on what he does best: running the offense. He found Daniel Gafford and Morez Johnson Jr. for easy baskets near the rim and hit another shot from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, his third three-pointer without a miss. The negative note was 4 turnovers, which is normal in a point guard's first NBA game. In Summer League, he had already shown his playmaking vision with 14 assists against the Thunder.
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Rockets too much for Dallas
The game was decided early. Fred VanVleet, returning from a lengthy injury, opened with three straight three-pointers and a 9-0 start, and the Rockets reached halftime with a 20-point lead (65-45). The Mavericks cut it to ten in the third quarter (74-64), but Houston pulled away again and entered the fourth quarter up 99-80.
Alperen Sengun posted a triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in less than 22 minutes, with Yao Ming watching from the stands. Tari Eason was the game's leading scorer with 20 points and VanVleet added 17. For the Mavericks, Cooper Flagg scored 19 and Tobi Lawal 13.
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Aldama and Irving on the sidelines
Dallas played without two important names. Santi Aldama continues recovering from right knee surgery and still has no return date. Kyrie Irving rested due to left knee soreness, though he is expected to play Sunday in the rematch also in Macau. It would be his first game in 19 months, since he tore his ACL in March 2025. Clint Capela did not play for the Rockets.
The two teams face off again Sunday in Macau in the final game of their China tour.