Kyrie Irving is back, and he scored on the first play
After 586 days away, Irving led Dallas with 17 points in a 132–115 win over Houston in Macao.
Dallas coach Dusty May drew up the opening possession for Kyrie Irving on Sunday, and Irving finished it with a reverse layup over Jabari Smith Jr. about 14 seconds in. The Mavericks' bench jumped up, and the crowd at the Venetian Arena got loud for a player who had not played a game since tearing the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025.
Irving finished with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, with three assists and two rebounds in about 22 minutes. He scored 14 of those points in the first half and sat out the fourth quarter. He also made both his preseason debut and his first appearance alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
Irving told reporters he had been picturing that first basket for a long time and that he wanted to play aggressively and look like himself again. He also said a calf strain last December set back his rehab and helped decide that he would miss the whole 2025–26 season.
The win split the two-game China series. Houston took the opener on Friday, 135–117, behind an Alperen Şengün triple-double while Irving rested as planned. Dallas returns home to face New Orleans on Thursday and Atlanta on Saturday.
