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The Houston Rockets, a team drawing plenty of attention this NBA season following the arrival of Serbian national team captain Bogdan Bogdanovic, fell 132-115 to the Dallas Mavericks in preseason action.
Bogdanovic had a modest outing, finishing with seven points and four rebounds in 14 minutes on the floor, converting two of his six attempts from three-point range.
Dallas edged ahead 28-27 after the opening quarter and extended the margin to 58-51 by halftime. Houston briefly surged ahead early in the third period, but the Mavericks quickly reasserted control to take a 95-85 advantage into the fourth.
Dallas maintained their offensive rhythm in the final frame, pouring in another 37 points to wrap up a dominant victory.
Kyrie Irving led the winning effort with 17 points, while Zaccharie Risacher added 16. Tarik Biberovic knocked down two three-pointers from six attempts, and Marcus Smart led the Rockets with 20 points.
A major boost for Dallas was the return of Irving, who was back in the starting lineup after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The two teams will meet again on October 21 in Houston for the start of the regular season.
Video: Petrusev: "We miss Bogdanovic immensely!"
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