Dusty May isn't treating this one as a game to win. Asked about Houston, the Mavericks coach said the Rockets are "going to expose some things because of the way they play and how hard they play and their athleticism and their switchability," and called the trip "a fact-finding mission" where winning "is not going to be the primary objective." Coaches say that every preseason, but May named exactly the parts of his roster he expects Houston to test.
Those injury notes all fall in the same spot. Dereck Lively II is still working back from his foot injury, though Masai Ujiri says he's making good progress. Santi Aldama was limited in practice with an undisclosed issue, and Morez Johnson Jr. has been limited by lower-leg soreness. All 3 are day-to-day, all 3 are frontcourt players, and the opponent is Sengun. Even in an exhibition, Dallas could end up giving the Houston center's minutes to whoever is healthy enough to play.
Tip is 7:00 AM CT, so this is a coffee game for anyone stateside. Watch for 3 things: how much Irving plays and how sharp he looks, whether VanVleet looks like the point guard Houston has been missing, and what Dallas does at center. The same 2 teams meet again Sunday, October 11, in the same building, so neither coach has a reason to show much the first night.