NBA

Kyrie Irving in a Dallas Mavericks blue jersey during his return game against the Rockets in Macao

Kyrie Irving Is Back: 17 Points in 22 Minutes as Mavs Beat Rockets in Macao

By Rye | October 11, 2026

Ten seconds. That is how long it took Kyrie Irving to remind everybody. First start in 586 days, first touch that mattered, and he blew past Jabari Smith Jr. along the baseline for a reverse layup that looked like he never left.

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He left in March 2025 with a torn left ACL. He came back Sunday morning in Macao with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 2-of-6 from deep, 3-of-3 from the line, 3 assists and zero turnovers in 22 minutes. Dallas beat Houston 132-115 to split the two-game China series. And the box score barely tells the story.

Because this comeback almost did not happen this way. The Mavericks initially hoped for a return after last season's All-Star break. Then, in December 2025, Irving suffered a Grade 2 calf strain the team never disclosed, a setback that pushed his timeline back roughly eight weeks. Dallas ruled him out for the rest of the season in February and said he had made steady progress in rehab. Sunday was the payoff for all of it.

The best review came from the other bench. Rockets coach Ime Udoka watched Irving work out over the summer and liked what he saw Sunday morning. "Well, he looked back to his normal self," Udoka said. When the opposing coach says that after 586 days, it means something.

Mavs coach Dusty May kept Irving on an unspecified minutes limit and said he would watch how the guard's body responds. But the work in camp had already sold him. "If I didn't know that he missed last year, I wouldn't be able to tell based on how he's worked in preseason camp," May said.

It was also a first in another way: Irving's first game ever alongside Cooper Flagg. When Irving's knee gave out in March 2025, Flagg was still at Duke. Sunday, the second-year forward put up 14 points and 7 assists, and Zaccharie Risacher added 16 as a starter. The new-look Mavericks are starting to look like something.

Dallas opened the trip with a 135-117 loss to these same Rockets on Friday, then flipped it Sunday with 17 points off Houston's first 11 turnovers and a 58-51 halftime lead they never gave back. Preseason, yes. But the Mavs lost all of last season to injuries. Sunday was the first time in a year and a half that their best guard walked back onto an NBA floor.

The real thing starts October 21. Same opponent. Regular season opener, Rockets at Dallas. Uncle Drew will be there.

Key Facts

Final: Mavericks 132, Rockets 115. NBA China Games preseason, Venetian Arena, Macao, Oct 11.
Kyrie Irving: 17 PTS (6-13 FG, 2-6 3PT, 3-3 FT), 2 REB, 3 AST, 0 TO in 22 minutes.
The layoff: first NBA game since March 3, 2025 (torn left ACL), 586 days. A Grade 2 calf strain in December 2025 delayed the return about eight weeks.
First basket: reverse layup past Jabari Smith Jr. ten seconds into his first start back.
Also for Dallas: Cooper Flagg 14 PTS, 7 AST. Zaccharie Risacher 16 PTS as a starter.
The quotes: Ime Udoka: "he looked back to his normal self." Dusty May: "If I didn't know that he missed last year, I wouldn't be able to tell."
Next: regular season opens October 21, Rockets at Mavericks.

VIA Heavy, RealGM, Mavs Moneyball, Eurohoops, RotoWire, ClutchPoints and Sportradar. Stat line via @UnderdogNBA. Udoka quote via Heavy. May quote via The Athletic.