The Dallas Mavericks were without two of their starters during their trip to China, as Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan didn't fly with the team, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
Jordan did not fly with the team as he attended to a death in the family, while Barnes is out for the preseason after tweaking his hamstring in practice.
The Mavs had no problem waxing the Beijing Ducks 116-63 during their first preseason game, as their international rival failed to do much damage besides ex-NBA player Justin Hamilton's 29 points, which led all scorers.
The tandem of high-rising point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and rookie forward Luka Doncic was plenty bright, combining for a luminous 11-of-17 from the floor.
A similar effort will be needed from that talented duo as Jordan and Barnes sit for the next few preseason games, which should also bring opportunities to try Doncic out as a natural small forward, as well as giving Kostas Antetokounmpo and Maxi Kleber opportunities at the 5 in smaller lineups.
Head coach Rick Carlisle is likely to do plenty of tinkering with lineups during this preseason, hoping to get some ideas for his upcoming rotations.
The Mavs shot an impressive 52 percent from the field against the Ducks, despite playing without household names like Barnes, J.J. Barea and Dirk Nowitzki, shooting a blistering 55.6 percent from deep in their first exhibition game.
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