‘Another Game On The Schedule’: Kyrie Irving Scores 15 In First Home Game Of Season As Dallas Mavericks Beat Oklahoma City Thunder

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving made all four of his shots in the first quarter Wednesday night, three of them 3-pointers, in his first home game of the season. He finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 at American Airlines Center.

Dallas outscored Oklahoma City by 25 points in Irving’s 26:58, the best plus-minus on either team. The Thunder entered 4-0 and left with their first loss.

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025, in a home game against the Sacramento Kings, and he missed all of last season. He returned in the Mavericks’ season opener at Houston on Oct. 21 and has scored 15, 24, 18, and 15 points in his four games.

Kyrie Irving On His First Game Back At American Airlines Center

Irving sat out Saturday’s 122-106 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs with left knee injury management on the second night of a back-to-back. He was listed as questionable Wednesday with the same designation. Before the Oct. 23 game at Indiana, Mavericks coach Dusty May confirmed Irving is on a minutes restriction.

“Tonight felt like another game on the schedule rather than just like a welcome back to AAC moment,” Irving said. “I honestly was just throwing myself into the game, throwing myself into preparation, and just trying to find, or continue, our rhythm that we’ve built on since the first game of the season. We obviously want to continue to get better, but being the leader of the team, I know emotionally I’ve got to carry a lot.”

“But I think tonight was just a step in the right direction, just getting this game out of the way, performing in front of our home crowd, them getting a chance to see our new team and new faces around, and just what they can look forward to every time they come to see us play,” Irving continued.

Irving’s first basket was a 25-foot pull-up with 9:51 left in the first quarter that tied the game at 5-5. On the next possession, he stole the ball from Ajay Mitchell. He later hit a 3-pointer off a Cooper Flagg pass, a 13-foot fadeaway, and a 25-footer from Flagg with 10.4 seconds left that made it 33-28. Irving scored 4 points over the final three quarters.

Caleb Martin scored 10 points in his season debut after missing four games with a right thumb sprain, and Irving assisted on his 3-pointer with 7:31 left that put Dallas up 108-89. Martin had been upgraded to questionable on Tuesday’s injury report, and he played 13:49 off the bench.

“Very proud, very proud. Anytime you miss any games, especially in the NBA, the rhythm could change a little bit about your game, and it might take a game or two, but he came in and filled in like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Irving said. “It didn’t look like his injury was holding him back at all. So really proud of him, really proud of our guys, just the way we were complementing each other, and then also just how impactful we were with our minutes, each person.”

“Dusty’s gonna come in and keep playing guys, keep getting fresh bodies in. But our young guys are doing a great job of filling in their roles and listening to what we’ve gotta say,” Irving explained. “I think it honestly starts with the way our practice habits go, and the carryover is what you’re seeing.”

Cooper Flagg And Dusty May On Playing Alongside Irving

Flagg, who led Dallas with 26 points and 8 assists, played all of his rookie season without Irving. Flagg also missed the Spurs game, with a left shoulder sprain, which made Wednesday the first time the two played together at American Airlines Center in a regular-season game.

“I think just as gravity, I just know having so much gravity as a player, he attracts so much attention that it opens up the floor for everybody else,” Flagg said. “And I think my gravity, as I’ve continued to grow more and more gravity, I think I’ve gotten him some easier looks as well.”

“So just finding ways to play off each other and find him and him finding me and just helping each other and making the game easier has been something that’s been fun to experiment with,” Flagg continued. “I think there’s a lot of growth, another gear that we can get to with each other out there and helping each other out more. But it’s been a pleasure to be able to just be alongside him and learn as we go kind of on the fly.”

Irving was plus-23 through three quarters, including plus-16 in the first half. He had 3 of his 4 assists before the fourth quarter, and he sat for good with 5:33 left.

“It’s great. Obviously he’s a great leader, great vet. He has a great voice out there commanding guys to do different things,” Flagg said. “And he sees the game at a high level. So some of his basketball IQ actually on the court, it helps out to get guys in the right spots.”

Dallas assisted on 30 of its 46 field goals, and Oklahoma City had 17 assists on 36. Three of Irving’s 4 assists set up 3-pointers, and the other set up Flagg’s go-ahead floater in the first quarter.

“The beautiful part is he’s still just getting his rhythm back,” May said. “You see some things out there, like he’s managing the game for us. When he’s on the floor, we’re really, really good. He’s getting so much attention as well. The way he trusts his teammates, I think the majority of Caleb’s shots were Kyrie generating or drawing two and getting off the ball. And that’s a real staple of our team, of just making the right plays. So obviously you guys know how I feel about Kyrie.”

Irving took 8 of his 14 shots from 3-point range and made 3, all in the first quarter. Daniel Gafford, who started at center, finished with 11 rebounds and 2 assists.

“Our guys have done a nice job after offensive rebounds, fanning out. And so he’s gonna take what the game gives him if they’re in a deep, deep drop coverage, and Gaff’s screens have been… There’s probably 10 or 15 every game that Gaff just sets great screens and gets these guys open,” May said. “And so if the big’s in a deep drop, he’s obviously a great decision maker. So we like the threes. They are worth more.”

Dallas hosts the Houston Rockets on Friday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.