MACAO — Kevin Durant said Friday that Kyrie Irving is anxious and excited to get back on the floor. The day before, Mavericks coach Dusty May said Irving will play in one of the two games in Macao.
Irving sat out the Dallas Mavericks’ preseason opener with left knee rest. The Houston Rockets won that game 135-117 at The Venetian Arena. Irving has not played since tearing the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025. The teams meet again Sunday, with tip-off set for 5 a.m. CT.
Durant and Irving were teammates in Brooklyn from 2019 to 2023. Durant scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 23:12 on Friday.
Kevin Durant On Kyrie Irving’s Work Ethic And Approach
Irving said Thursday that a grade 2 calf strain in December pushed his timeline back by about eight weeks. Durant spoke with him the other day.
“I haven’t talked to Kai about his rehab. I spoke to him the other day. He says 18 to 19 months since he’s played an NBA game. I don’t know the exact number, but just being around Kai, his work ethic is second to none,” Durant said. “His approach to the game, mentally, is second to none. He’s just a savant. When you think about basketball, you think about him. So I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the floor.”
“I know him as a human being, though. He’s a little anxious and excited. I wouldn’t say nervous, anxious to get back out there and just get in the flow of things. So I’m excited for him, man,” Durant continued. “So happy that he’s back and healthy and happy that Fred’s healthy, happy that Steven’s healthy. I don’t wanna see anybody in our game be away from the game that long, especially the ones who love it as much as these three. So I can’t wait to see him out there next game.”
Fred VanVleet missed all of last season with a torn ACL. He scored 17 points with 7 assists in his return Friday.
Cooper Flagg Awaits First Game With Kyrie Irving
Cooper Flagg and Irving have yet to share the court in a game. Flagg scored 19 points in 19:02 on Friday and expects to play again Sunday. Irving’s gravity and the way he manipulates a game will make things a lot easier for him, Flagg said, a day after he described their early chemistry in practice.
“Whatever ends up happening, I’m just excited. Whenever we get to share the court for the first time, obviously it’s been an incredible training camp to play together and kind of figure that out on the fly. It’s been fun and I’m really excited,” Flagg said. “Just sharing the court with someone like him and his gravity and the way he can manipulate the game is obviously going to make my life a lot easier. So I’m really excited to get the chance to share the court together, and whenever that is, it’s going to be great.”
Dallas played Friday without six players, Irving among them. May said the Mavericks are still searching for an offensive identity with this group.
“Well, once we get more of our core guys back, I think we’ll have a much better identity offensively. We’re still searching with this group, and that was the fun part of this game, of having so many lineups that have never been on the court together, because of a number of reasons,” May said. “But certainly you always build your offense around your best players so that Coop and Kyrie are going to be the fulcrum to anything that we do. And so it’s on us to find solutions how to use that the best way.”
After Sunday’s game, Dallas returns home for preseason games Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The Mavericks open the regular season Oct. 21 at Houston.
