Kyrie Irving is expected to make his long-awaited return Sunday when the Dallas Mavericks face the Houston Rockets in their second preseason game in Macao.
The matchup would be Irving’s first game since March 3, 2025, when he tore the ACL in his left knee. After missing the entire 2025-26 season, the veteran guard now has a specific target for the next step in his comeback.
Mavericks coach Dusty May has Irving scheduled to play Sunday. Cooper Flagg also plans to play, putting Dallas in position to get its first game look at a partnership that could shape its offense this season.
Irving did not play in Friday’s preseason opener, which Houston won 135-117. His absence leaves Sunday’s rematch carrying a different kind of significance for the Mavericks: the chance to begin integrating an established scorer with the young forward around whom they are building.
Kyrie Irving’s return follows another setback during rehab
The length of Irving’s absence has a complication beyond the original knee injury.
During the team’s trip to Macao, Irving disclosed that he sustained a Grade 2 calf strain in December while recovering from his torn ACL. The calf problem cost him about eight weeks and pushed his recovery timetable back, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.
“And throughout the season, I did have a moment in December where I did have a setback,” Irving said. “And that did put me out for about eight weeks. I had a calf strain, a grade two calf strain, that was just crazy, and it kind of pushed my timeline back even more so. So I had to take my time to heal. So I think the offseason gave me time to just take that moment to just reflect and push my body to limits that I knew were smart.”
That disclosure provides important context for a comeback that has stretched across two offseasons. The December setback is part of the history of his rehabilitation, rather than a newly reported injury heading into Sunday’s game.
Irving also described changing the way he approached his offseason, giving himself opportunities to recover instead of treating every workout as a test of how much he could endure. His account helps explain why simply reaching this stage matters before any conclusions are drawn from his first scoring total.
Speaking Thursday, Irving said he was feeling good about his conditioning and was using practices and scrimmages to adjust to sustained high-level basketball again.
“Practices do wonders but the game is, it can’t be recreated,” Irving said.
An exhibition offers something those workouts cannot fully duplicate: possessions against another team’s personnel and defensive choices. For Dallas, the first useful observations will include how comfortably Irving gets into the offense and how the group responds when he handles the ball.
The Mavericks’ official Friday status report listed Irving out for left knee rest. It also ruled out Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama, P.J. Washington, Caleb Martin and Marcus Sasser for their respective injury or illness issues.
Dallas therefore played its opener with several absences, another reason to avoid treating that result as a full assessment of its available talent.
Sunday’s expected appearance does not establish a regular-season minutes plan. The reporting confirming his return does not specify a firm workload, so a preseason debut should not be treated as a promise that he will immediately resume his old playing time.
What Irving can change for Cooper Flagg and Dallas
Dallas is getting back a player whose production before the injury shows why the return could be consequential.
In the 2024-25 season, Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He shot 47.3 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from 3-point range and 91.6 percent at the free-throw line.
Those numbers describe his pre-injury performance, not a projection of what he will deliver immediately. They nevertheless illustrate the combination Dallas has been missing: a guard capable of creating a shot with the ball and remaining a shooting threat without it.
That versatility is particularly relevant alongside Flagg. Irving can initiate a possession and let Flagg attack after the defense has already moved, while Flagg handling the ball would allow Irving to work as a scoring option away from the initial action.
May addressed the broader benefit before Friday’s game, describing how Irving’s presence could improve the opportunities available to Dallas’ other players, according to Mavs Moneyball’s Matt Martinez.
“The leverage he provides the other guys, I think that’s one area we can make a big improvement offensively,” May said. “Simply having a floor general like him on the court with the young group I think will open up a number of things.”
The practical question is how the two share responsibility, not simply whether each can score. Dallas can begin examining who starts possessions, where the other player positions himself and whether the combination produces easier opportunities for teammates.
Flagg has already drawn attention entering his second season, including when he confirmed that he measured 6-foot-10 without shoes at his physical. Playing alongside Irving offers a more direct basketball test of how Dallas can use his developing game.
One preseason appearance will not settle the partnership’s ceiling. It can, however, give May actual game possessions to evaluate instead of relying entirely on practice combinations.
Kevin Durant weighs in as Mavericks prepare for Sunday
Irving’s return also drew a response from Kevin Durant, who was asked about it after Friday’s game.
Durant praised Irving’s preparation and understanding of basketball.
Kyrie Irving is scheduled to play Sunday for the Mavs in GM 2 in Macau
I asked Kevin Durant postgame his thoughts on Irving’s return he said:
“Just being around Kai his work ethic is second to none. His approach to the game mentally is second to none. He’s a savant.” #MFFL pic.twitter.com/eBuyvbGN5t
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) October 9, 2026
“His approach to the game mentally is second to none,” Durant said. “He’s a savant.”
The endorsement accompanies a scheduling wrinkle: Durant is not expected to play in Sunday’s rematch. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Durant would sit out the second game.
That makes the rematch a different evaluation from Friday’s meeting, with Irving expected to enter Dallas’ lineup while Houston rests one of its key players. Any comparison between the two results will need to account for those personnel changes.
Sunday’s game tips at 6 a.m. EST NBA TV and NBA League Pass.
For the Mavericks, the most meaningful development would be seeing Irving complete his first game back and begin building an on-court rhythm with Flagg. The return date is now in view; the next answers will come from how that pairing actually plays.
