Kyrie Irving returns to Mavs, dazzles in China preseason game - ESPN

MACAO, China — The Dallas Mavericks called a play for Kyrie Irving on the opening possession of his first game in 586 days, much to the delight of the Venetian Arena sellout crowd that roared when the eight-time All-Star caught the ball on the right wing.

Irving delivered, driving by Jabari Smith Jr. for a reverse layup, setting off a celebration on the Dallas bench and eliciting an even louder roar from the Chinese fans who enthusiastically welcomed him back after he missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.

«A lot of emotions leading into it,» Irving said. «Grateful that Dusty [May] called the first play for me. Had my mind made up just to attack.… I saw that baseline open up a little bit, and it just felt good to get that out of the way.

»I was imagining how it was going to go, dreaming about how it was going to go. I'm just glad I got that out of the way."

Irving finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes during the Mavericks' 132-115 preseason win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

«I didn't expect him to play this well after being off for so long, just [because of] the rhythm of the game,» May said. «It's just a testament to his work.»

It was Irving's first game action since he tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025. He revealed this week that he sustained a Grade 2 calf strain in December, interrupting his rehabilitation and factoring into the decision to rule him out for the season after the All-Star break.

«He's back to being who he is,» Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. «He'll only get better as he gets his rhythm back in real NBA games.»

Irving sat out the preseason opener Friday as part of the Mavericks' plan to ease him back into action. He led the