Kyrie Irving scores 17 in return as Mavericks beat Rockets 132-115 in Macau preseason game
Kyrie Irving returned from a 20-month layoff to score 17 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 132-115 in a preseason game in Macau on Sunday night. It was Irving’s first appearance since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on 3 March 2025.
Irving had waited nearly 600 days for an NBA return and opened the game with a reverse layup on the Mavericks’ first possession after Cooper Flagg set him up on the right wing. The Mavericks won the opening tip and the team’s bench celebrated the score while the crowd in China reacted loudly; the report noted the Rockets’ popularity there is largely because of Chinese superstar, former Houston great and Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming. The nine-time All-Star missed all of last season and had been averaging 24.7 points for Dallas when he was injured late in the 2024-25 season. Dallas reached the NBA finals in 2024 but missed the last two postseasons.
Irving shot six for 13 in just under 22 minutes, and also posted three assists and two rebounds. Dallas coach Dusty May praised Irving’s condition at the postgame press conference, saying: "It was just impressive," Dallas coach Dusty May told reporters at a postgame press conference. "His physical condition, his mental condition, and then – I’ve said it from the first time I watched him in a workout – he’s an artist. He’s a jazz musician. ... I didn’t expect him to play this well after being off so long."
His playing time was limited as part of the comeback plan: Irving logged eight minutes in the first quarter, a little more than eight in the second and returned for the first five and a half minutes of the third before sitting out the remainder of the game. The Mavericks managed their rotations around his outing as they closed the preseason contest in Macau.
After the game Irving reflected on the moment, saying: "Grateful that Dusty called the first play for me," Irving said. "Had my mind made up, just to attack. ... I was imagining how it was going to go, dreaming about how it was going to go and just glad that I got that out the way. Just incredibly grateful for my teammates as well and their support and just seeing them rise up off the bench to celebrate me as well, that always feels good. And God is truly the greatest. So just being able to perform at a high level, that felt amazing." Houston guard Marcus Smart offered his own reaction: "It’s always great to see somebody coming from the injury that Ky came from to get back on the court," Houston guard Marcus Smart said. "I know we compete, but you want to compete against the best and you want everybody to be out there. For him to be back out there, it was great to see. He looked good, but we expected him to look good. Very happy for him." He also thanked fans who gathered outside the Mavericks’ hotel to show their support or sent good-luck messages on social media, and the report noted Irving is enormously popular in China, which he has visited many times over the years and plans to return to in 2027 as part of his annual world tour.
"It’s definitely a lot of emotions that were going into it," Irving said. "Looking forward to getting back home and continuing to carry on what we learned here from each other."