Kyrie Irving gave Dallas Mavericks fans something to smile about just 10 seconds into his first start in more than 19 months on Sunday morning at Venetian Arena in Macao, China. He drove past Jabari Smith Jr. along the baseline for a pretty reverse layup where he looked completely recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in March 2025 for the game’s first bucket, which will only feed the preseason hopes that Dallas can improve quickly after a lost year in 2025-26.
The Mavericks would go on to win the
second of two against Houston, 132-115, to earn a preseason split in Macao. Pat yourself on the back if you woke up for it, you absolute sickos. Dallas looked good with Irving’s steady hand back at the helm on Sunday. Really good at times. We’ll try not to overreact.
Dallas turned Houston over 21 times in Friday’s 135-117 loss in the same arena and continued that trend in the first quarter on Sunday, when they forced seven more Rockets’ turnovers. Two free throws from Irving tied the game, 24-24, with 1:02 left in the opening quarter, then two more from Max Christie gave the Mavs their first lead of the game 20 seconds later. Dallas led 28-27 after one, when the second of two nifty drives from Christie fell with just 12 ticks left in the quarter.
The Mavs made it a point to get out on the break throughout the first half, scoring 17 points off the Rockets’ first 11 turnovers in the game’s first 17 minutes. The easy looks and trips to the free-throw line that aggression provided gave Dallas a real lift early in the game. Dallas took a 58-51 lead into the break.
The Rockets battled back all the way from down 15 in the second quarter to back in front early in the third, but Dallas pushed the pace in their favor to win back control and take a 95-85 lead into the fourth.
The Mavs shot 15-of-40 (37.5%) from 3-point range in the win after hoisting 51 of them the first time around against the Rockets. Just becoming a roster of willing shooters under new head coach Dusty May is a welcome development ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Mavericks and the Rockets will meet again soon, on Oct. 21, for the first game of the regular season for both teams — this time from Houston’s Toyota Center.
Irving’s long awaited return
Irving is back, and he still has it all, y’all.
The Mavericks’ reserves borderline assaulted Irving as he made his way through the huddle, dapping up teammates along the way, when his name was called as a member of the Dallas starting lineup for the first time in 19 months. They were so excited for their veteran sensei to return to the court, and regardless of how much time he may or may not have left in a Mavs uniform, so were we.
Irving made some pregame comments at halfcourt, along with Rockets forward Kevin Durant. He thanked the crowd for their hospitality before driving past Jabari Smith Jr. for a nifty reverse layup for the game’s first bucket just 10 seconds into the game. Irving turned the corner against the bigger defender and looked 1000% healed on that first drive.
He caught a grenade six feet beyond the top of the key with half a second on the shot clock late in the third after a PJ Washington miss caromed out to the perimeter. Irving got it up quickly, hoisting and cashing in a desperation heave to pull Dallas to within 22-18 with 2:50 left in the first.
Irving just changes the way the Mavs’ offense looks. It’s all-of-a-sudden presentable. It’s not so scattered — not so unhinged. There’s an organization to it all with Irving at the head of the table. He started the break once again late in the second with an outlet pass to Flagg along the sideline that pushed the play forward. Flagg then lifted a beauty of an alley-oop to Daniel Gafford, who looked much healthier and played well inside on Sunday.
Irving absolutely abused Smith Jr. again with 29 seconds left in the first half, spinning off the bigger defender, controlling his body in the air and fading for a finish through the contact. The free throw to complete the 3-point play gave Irving 14 points in the first half.
Irving came back out for more in the third and hit his second 3-pointer of the game 2:32 into the second half after a Zaccharie Risacher steal, finishing with 17 points and three assists in 22 minutes on the floor.
PJ Washington’s slightly less heralded return
PJ Washington was in the starting lineup on Sunday after missing the team’s first preseason game. He made 1-of-4 from the field in the first quarter, including 1-for-3 from 3-point range. He drove through the lane with a purpose with two minutes left in the first, earning a pair of free throws after a hard foul by Tari Eason, then blocked Eason’s driving attempt deep in the lane with 45 seconds left in the first.
Flagg found Washington open for his second 3-ball of the game after a broken play early in the second quarter, as the pace turned a little helter skelter. Flagg then served Washington a perfect little alley-oop after another Rockets turnover with 8:44 left in the first half.
Washington scored 10 points in the first half on 2-of-5 shooting from deep and blocked two shots in the first half as well. He did not return in the second half.
Risacher starts both games
May and the coaching staff really wants to get a look at new Maverick forward Zaccharie Risacher in the preseason. He was in the starting lineup for a second straight time on Sunday morning against the Rockets, and his first pass was nearly intercepted at the top of the key. Then, still two minutes into the game, he fouled Reed Shepard on a 3-point attempt along the baseline. Once again, Risacher’s first 3-point attempt barely grazed the rim a minute after that bad foul, but we were open to the possibility to the idea that he would work his way into things, as he did in the Mavs’ first preseason game on Friday, we guess.
Shepard abused Risacher in a one-on-one situation on the fast break, getting a hand on the ball and not letting go as Risacher raised up for an attempt inside. Risacher scored his first bucket of the game in close, off Caleb Martin’s offensive rebound with 5:15 left in the second to put Dallas up 43-34.
Risacher just isn’t strong going after the ball or with the basketball in his hands. Marcus Smart, who made his first start in a Rockets uniform on Sunday, blocked Risacher’s ambitious dunk attempt as the second half wound down — shouldn’t the 6’10” forward be able to get above the defense of one of the league’s elder statesmen at the guard position?
Risacher made a couple of plays early in the third, though. He got to a loose ball and started a fast break that led to a 3-ball from Irving, before dunking home a put-back on Irving’s missed baseline jumper with 8:23 left in the third. A minute later, he cashed in his first 3-pointer (on five attempts). It wasn’t all bad — Risacher made a couple of plays and hit a second 3-ball in the fourth quarter with the reserves on the court.
Cooper Flagg: That’s the post
Cooper Flagg picked Smart’s pocket five minutes into the game, then turned the rip into a fast-break jam with 7:44 left in the first. He scored his next five points at the free-throw line, as Houston made him earn every point by sticking Smith Jr., then Eason on Flagg when Eason entered the game.
Flagg didn’t have a hot hand from the field in the first half, but he affected the game in a number of ways. He made just 1-of-6 from the field to start the game before a wayward leg kick connected with Marcus Smart south of the equator on a baseline jumper attempt with 7:17 left in the second.
Flagg didn’t have as great of a game the second time around as he did in Friday’s game. He ended the first half shooting 1-of-7 from the field with four assists and two steals. Then he created a little space for himself along the baseline less than five minutes into the third for his first 3-ball of the game to put the Mavs up 71-69.
Flagg finished with 14 points and seven assists in 25 minutes against Houston.
Electric Larryland
Sergio de Larrea entered the game for the first time with two minutes left in the first quarter. He smoked an easy layup attempt on the fast break midway through the second before canning his first 3-point attempt after a Dwight Powell offensive board a minute later to give the Mavs a 48-34 lead. To that point, de Larrea was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc for the Mavs this preseason. He finally missed a 3-point attempt late in the third, but his release is pretty, and his game looks slightly more NBA ready than I thought it would at this point.
De Larrea didn’t do quite as much in Sunday’s second game as he did in the first preseason game, but you can tell de Larrea is a player who is going to get some considerable run this season. He’ll have his moments. He drove for one last beauty of a hoop on a baseline reverse lay-in with just over 4:30 left to play, then found Seth Lundy for a 3-pointer on a pretty assist to finish the game with nine points, six boards and a pair of steals in 21 minutes (of plus-31 ball!) for the Mavs.
Christie and Gafford: effective cogs
The Mavericks have all sorts of fun new players we all want to get a look at this preseason. That’s all well and good, but let’s not forget Daniel Gafford and Max Christie. Both played really nicely for the Mavs in the second preseason game. Gafford looks like a different player to start the preseason slate than the hobbled version we saw a year ago, and Christie was solid, shooting 4-of-7 and sinking 2-of-3 of his 3-point attempts.
Players like Gafford and Christie took their some lumps a year ago as the Mavericks’ fortunes turned bleak last season. They will once again have a chance to be meaningful parts of something better moving forward this year. Christie finished the game with 14 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes, while Gafford had nine and three in 15 minutes on the floor.
