The six three-pointers came from the less glamorous half of Dallas’ rotation, which is precisely why they deserve attention. In Friday’s 116-111 victory over Houston at American Airlines Center, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin and Walter Clayton Jr. supplied half of the Mavericks’ 12 threes. Kyrie Irving made five more by himself. Cooper Flagg, Max Christie and P.J. Washington combined to make 1 of 11.
That distribution mattered because several Dallas starters were missing from long range. Irving could supply five threes, but he could not supply the other seven himself. Risacher, Martin and Clayton combined for six of them while Flagg did his scoring inside the arc. The Mavericks had more than one source for the baskets that separated their three-point total from Houston’s seven.
Risacher offered the broadest contribution. His first three came in the second quarter with Dallas ahead 32-27, and his second did not arrive until the third. He scored on a running jumper with 3:27 left in that period, then hit another three with 21.9 seconds remaining.
Houston led 84-76 after that final third-quarter basket, so Risacher had not nearly erased the deficit. He had, however, prevented the quarter from ending with Dallas entirely adrift.
The larger case for Risacher rests on the whole performance. He finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. He assisted Irving on a second-quarter two-point basket, helped keep the ball moving and contributed defensive plays that a shooting percentage alone would not describe.
His three makes were valuable because they arrived alongside activity in several other categories, not because a reserve suddenly transformed into a featured scorer.
Martin’s role was narrower and more about timing. His first three came in the opening quarter, putting Dallas ahead 21-18. His second came at 7:43 of the fourth, tying the game 88-88 after Houston had opened the period with a lead.
The Rockets did not immediately fold. At 5:57, Martin scored a two-point basket assisted by Irving, making the score Dallas 95, Houston 90. That basket did not finish the comeback, but it supplied an answer during a stretch when Dallas needed more than one creator to keep producing.
Martin’s two threes arrived in different parts of the game: one established a first-quarter lead, the other erased a fourth-quarter deficit. Eight points did not make him an offensive centerpiece. They did put some scoring into a role that otherwise produced no rebounds or assists. The value was in converting those particular attempts, rather than turning every reserve minute into another featured scoring assignment.
Clayton’s line was smaller still: three points, two rebounds, one assist and three turnovers in nine minutes. His only basket was a three-pointer with 1:19 left in the third quarter, making the score Houston 78, Dallas 71. Dallas remained seven points behind, so the shot did not extend a Mavericks lead or suddenly redirect the game.