Kyrie Irving Reveals What He’s Watching in Long-Awaited Mavericks Return

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving plays his first regular-season game in more than 19 months Wednesday, when the Dallas Mavericks open at the Houston Rockets.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT. Irving's last regular-season appearance came March 3, 2025, against the Sacramento Kings, when he tore the ACL in his left knee.

Kevin Durant, one of the players Irving said Monday he looked up to like big brothers, now plays for Houston.

“I'm really excited, looking forward to the opportunity to be in Houston, hear my name called out,” Irving said. “A good rivalry game. And a good test for me. It'll be a good test, not only for the first game, but for the first 10 or 11.”

Houston went 52-30 last season and finished fifth in the Western Conference. The Rockets lost in six games in the first round, a year after Golden State beat them in seven in the same round. Ime Udoka is in his fourth season as Houston's coach.

Dallas went 26-56.

Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season. Before the trip to Macao this month, he said a Grade 2 calf strain in December had set his rehab back about eight weeks. The strain played into the decision to rule him out for the season after the All-Star break.

Dallas held Irving out of the preseason opener against Houston on Oct. 9, a 135-117 loss. Two days later in Macao, Mavericks coach Dusty May called a play for Irving on the first possession. He scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes, and the Mavericks beat the Rockets 132-115.

That game was also the first time Irving shared the floor with Cooper Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year. Early in the second quarter, Flagg threw a full-court pass to Irving for a layup in transition.

Irving did not play in the 101-97 home loss to New Orleans on Oct. 14.

His only other preseason appearance came Friday at American Airlines Center. Irving had 18 points and 5 assists in 25 minutes and went 5-of-7 from 3-point range in a 135-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Dallas went 1-3 in the preseason.

Irving's body feels great.

“Day by day and game by game,” Irving said. “I'm hyper-sensitive about my health. I want to be 100% when I go out there. I'm going to take it into account that I am coming off a long layoff, but also I've put a lot of great work in and the preseason has gone well. There hasn't been any restrictions. Just take it game by game.”

Before the injury, Irving averaged 24.7 points in 50 games in 2024-25. Over the 10 games he played between the Luka Dončić trade and the ACL tear, he averaged 28.1 points and 4.1 assists in 39.3 minutes.

He turns 35 in March and is starting his 16th season.

After Wednesday, the Mavericks host San Antonio on Saturday in their home opener. Oklahoma City visits American Airlines Center on Oct. 28 for Dallas' first national TV game of the season, on ESPN. The Rockets come to Dallas two days later.

Dallas plays at San Antonio on Nov. 4.