Last-minute Changes, Reports and News ahead of Mavericks vs. Rockets

Hours before the Mavericks host the best team in the NBA so far, there's a trade report on their point guard, a game-time call on the Rocket Center, and a Dallas injury report with six names on it. And today, we talk about all of it. The last-minute news, rumors, and who's actually playing and what to watch for in this game. You're going to know three things by the end of this video. Who's actually playing tonight, who isn't, and the one rumor that is worth your attention. Let's start with the rumor. On Wednesday, Shamshiranya said on the Pat McAfee Show that the Miami Heat are monitoring Kyrie Irving. And then the part that matters. Shams said Miami had one first-round pick eligible to be traded, and his sense is that it's probably not enough. His words? The price would be higher than that. Now, is Kyrie available is the question. Miami is one of the teams, and they are short on stuff Dallas would want back. Now, why exactly does this rumor have legs again all of a sudden? Well, let's start with the contract. Kyrie agreed to a three-year deal worth about $119 million in June of 2025. This season, he's on the books for $39.5 million, and he has a $42.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season. That's a long runway, and a contract like that is the first thing every front office checks. That salary is also why the price in the report isn't just picks. A $39.5 million contract has We'll be right back. has to fit around it, and that's a harder puzzle for Miami than just one pick. Then look at what he's done on the floor. This season he's averaging 18 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals a game in four games. Dallas has played five, so he's already missed one. A healthy start on a long contract, playing well, with another team's name attached. That's all it takes for a front office to call, and a call is not exactly a trade. One report from this week says the Mavericks have no desire to move on from Kyrie. Another says that it could change if Dallas falls out of the Western Conference playoff picture. Dallas right now is 3-2, so that's all the hypothetical, not a plan. Think of it like an open house. A lot of people walk through, and one of them is Miami walking through, but they're not buying it just yet. Then Ethan Skolnick said this on The Interest, saying, quote, I think we've both heard he's interested in playing down in Miami. Then the breaks, quote, I don't think that anything is imminent. And Tim McMahon says that if Dallas did decide to move him, Kyrie would have a robust trade market. That's a different thing from Dallas deciding to them. So here's where it stands. Reported is that Miami is watching and Kyrie's camp doesn't mind the idea. What's not reported has that, you know, there's any call, there's any trade off or there's any ask just yet. Treat anything past that as noise. Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about why tonight matters, because here's the part that people forget about this. This isn't just a Friday night game. It's the first night of NBA Cup group play. The Mavericks and the Rockets are both in West Group A, with the Nuggets, the Suns, and the Jazz. The six group winners advance along with one wildcard from each conference. Dallas' group schedule is Houston tonight, Utah on November 6th, then at Denver on November 24th, and Phoenix rounds it out the day after Thanksgiving on November 27th. Now, only one team gets out of each group, so tonight isn't a game you can wave away. A loss to a 5-0 team isn't the end of the cup for Dallas, but it puts a lot more weight on that road trip in late November. And the schedule doesn't let up after tonight Dallas hosts the Sacramento Kings on Monday, the second of three straight home games, so this is a stretch where the Mavericks can build something. Now let's look at Houston. The Rockets are 5-0, they've outscored teams by 71 points, and they're second in the NBA at 123 points a game. Kevin Durant is averaging 22.4 points per game for them, which is 28th in the NBA. That's the thing about Houston's, though. They win by a combined 71 points, and their best-known score isn't even top 25. For Dallas, it's 114 points a game, 15th in the league, and 112 allowed, which is 13th, a scoring differential of plus 10, whereas Houston's, again, plus 71. That's the gap Dallas is going to have to close tonight. However, this is not the first time the Mavericks are playing the Rockets. They played them opening night, and what they learned is that Flagg can get his and that Houston can score on anybody. So tonight, it's not about whether Flagg shows up. It's about who guards what Houston does. But the Rockets' injury report, it's not clean. Steven Adams is out with a right solar strain. Reed Shepard is out with a low back soreness. Meanwhile, Opera and Shingun, their top-tier center, is questionable with that same lower back soreness. Marcus Smart, their newly signed point guard, is questionable alongside him with a left forearm strain. Here's why that's a bigger deal than it sounds. On Wednesday, Houston beat Milwaukee 132-100 with Shingun, Smart, and Adams all out, and Fred VanVleet had 24 points. So Houston can win without him. That's the whole problem with waiting on that report. Even with the center out, this is a team that can beat Dallas, 128-110 in the opener, and Cooper Flagg scored 32 in that loss. Now Dallas, because their injury report obviously continues to not be clean as well. Derek Lively is out continuously with that right foot surgery, still recovering and no timetable for his return. Sergio de la Rea is out with a right knee sprain. Now, Santi Aldama and Tarek Bobrovic are both listed as doubtful as well. Aldama with the right knee, Bobrovic has a right heel issue. Najee Marshall is questionable with an illness alongside it, and Caleb Martin though, he's available with a right thumb stint after his game against the Thunder. Well, I'm hoping for a big game from Martin after I was really wanting him off the team. I've got some confidence in him. Marshall missed the last two games, and over Dallas' first three, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. If he can't go, that does create a real hole in the rotation, but it's a hole they were able to fill in the most recent game against the Thunder. And as for Kyrie Irving, well, he's not on tonight's report. He was questionable on Wednesday with left knee injury management, and now he's not there. So let's count it up. Two Mavericks are out, two are doubtful, one is questionable, and one is available with a splint. That's a depth problem, but it's not a star problem. Let's look at what that adds up to. Lively hasn't played since November 21st of last year, so nearly a year at this point, and Dallas' front line is thin. That's the first real question, is who plays center? There is good news, and it's why this isn't panic. Wednesday, Dallas beat Oklahoma City 1-20-96. Cooper Flagg had 26 points, 5 boards, and 8 assists. And the Dallas bench? Well, they outscored OKC's bench 43-19, and that's the number I'm going to hold on to tonight. Caleb Martin played in his first game of the season on Wednesday after missing four games with a right thumb sprain. He scored 10 points in 13 minutes and 49 seconds on 4 of 6 shooting, and Dallas outscored OKC by 8 when he was on the floor. And here's Dusty May on Caleb Martin. In his words, quote, If we're winning games this year, he'll be a big part of that. And this one matters for the other end. The Mavericks beat Miami 113-109 on Monday without Najee Marshall. They've been shorthanded before and found a way. Dallas is also looking for a third straight win tonight, and that's what Sports Illustrated calls three straight upset wins alongside them. They beat Miami, then OKC, and now it's a 5-0 Rockets team. So here's what I'm watching for tonight. Number one, will Alper and Shingun go? Dallas plays, they're going to have to deal with a big who can pass, and Daniel Gafford becomes a huge part of this team, especially in this game. If he sits, the Rockets can go a little smaller, especially with the absence of Derek Lively, and they can open up the paint a lot more. Number two, the center rotation for Dallas. With Lively out and Aldama doubtful, it's a question on every possession whether or not who's going to be backing up Daniel Gafford. Number three, Cooper Flagg against the best team in the league so far. He's at 25.3 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 rounds a game on over 50% shooting this season, and he scored 32 in the opener against this team. And of course, number four, the Kyrie record. He's 43 assists away from passing Jamal Mashburn for 21st on the Mavericks all-time list, and at his pace, it's about nine games away. Number five, the three-point line. Dallas is shooting 34.6% from three, 14th in the NBA. Against a team that can beat you by 30, you cannot leave points on the table, and you cannot miss wide-open threes like they were missing against the Thunder. And also watch the Dallas bench. It outscored OKC 43-19, and if that can happen again, well, that's a pretty good game for the Mavericks to come out on top. However, one kind of note with that, OKC was dealing with a lot more injury issues than what the Rockets are. Right on the line has Houston by five and a half with the total being at 226.5. Dallas has gone under in each of its last four games. So let's wrap up the video with a couple words. The rumor on Kyrie Irving is real, but it's early and Dallas hasn't done anything. Now the injury report decides more than the rumor does. And if you only remember one thing from this video, it's that this, the injury report is going to decide about this game. Check it right before tip to see who's playing. So Nick will have a video later on in the day about both Kyrie Irving and maybe the final injury report. If Shingun and Smart sit, I really do like the Mavericks. If they both play, it's hard to argue with Houston's depth, but I still like the way this team was playing on Wednesday. So I'm going to take them. Either way, make sure you check out the final injury report right before a tip and that'll tell you a lot more than anything else. My pick though, Dallas will keep it close. I think they end up coming away with it. Tell me your thoughts in the comment section. If you want to let me know who wins R for Rockets or M for Mavics, put your thoughts down below. If you want more of the videos like this where you can watch the next video that's on your screen right now, it's the best stop on the channel. As for now, we'll see you in the next one. Peace out.