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 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes during the Mavs' 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 on Friday as part of the Mavs' plan to ease him back into action. He led the Mavs in scoring in his return and also dished out the ball for three assists.
"Being able to perform at a high level, that felt amazing," Irving said. "I humbled myself while also just being aggressive and trying to look like myself again."
It was the 34-year-old Irving's first time playing alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
One highlight of the Dallas star duo's first outing together was Flagg throwing a full-court pass to Irving for a transition layup early in the second quarter. Early in the third, Flagg had a spectacular chase-down block on Houston's Amen Thompson, igniting a fast break that Irving finished with a pull-up 3-pointer.
"That was really cool to see, to be able to witness that," Mavs guard Max Christie said of Irving's performance. "He looked phenomenal. It was very, very fun to watch."