‘I Understand The Concept Now’: Kyrie Irving Comes Around On NBA Cup After Dallas Mavericks Hand Houston Rockets First Loss

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving was not excited about the NBA’s in-season tournament when he first answered questions about it a few years ago. After scoring 35 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, Irving said he has come around on it.

The win handed Houston its first loss of the season and opened NBA Cup group play for both teams at American Airlines Center. Irving finished with 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists on 12-of-19 shooting, and 26 of his points came after halftime. Dallas has won three straight and is 4-2.

Kyrie Irving Points To Knicks And Spurs

Last December, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas. Six months later, the same two teams met in the NBA Finals, and New York won the series in five games.

“But I think when I first answered this question a few years ago about the [in-season] tournament, I wasn’t that excited about it, like other veterans or other guys in the league, but I think I understand the concept now in terms of what it means for fandom of basketball and also for the franchise and just getting your legs up underneath you,” Irving said. “I think we saw the Knicks last year going against the San Antonio Spurs, and we saw that in the final. So there is some correlation to playing well early in the season and picking it up and then being able to have some early success, and that leads on to later down the line.”

That Finals matchup was the first time both NBA Cup finalists reached the championship round. The Cup is in its fourth season.

Friday’s game came down to the final 11.3 seconds, when Daniel Gafford, Irving, and Cooper Flagg went 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. Dallas trailed 84-73 late in the third quarter and outscored Houston 40-27 in the fourth, with Irving scoring 16 of his points in the final period. The lead changed hands nine times, and there were 10 ties.

“It was incredibly special. Obviously, it’s the in-season tournament. Depending on which team you play against, some teams are taking it serious, some teams aren’t,” Irving said. “But I think it was a good kind of pressure environment to have early in the season, where it wasn’t just about me playing well or Cooper playing well. We really needed to have possessions where they mattered and guys were making the right plays or weren’t making the right plays, and we just had to learn from it.”

“So we’re gonna be in a lot of games like this down the stretch throughout the year. I don’t know when, but hopefully we can get some 20-point wins where we don’t have to go into it,” Irving continued. “But when we’re going into some end-of-the-game things, we gotta be able to be sharp, be focused, and I felt like we were able to do that. And the guys were really leaning on me for some emotional support, some verbal communication, and I feel like I offered that.”

“And also just was confident within the game, like we just had to break over that hump. We were within seven points, and it was five points, and it was 10, it was nine,” Irving added. “It’s just we had to break that seal off, and I felt like we did it with our defense and also just having smart possessions on the offensive end.”

Dallas Mavericks Turn To Utah Jazz In Group Play

Group play runs through Nov. 27. Each of the six group winners moves on to the knockout rounds, and one wild card from each conference joins them. The Mavericks play their next Cup game Nov. 6, when they host the Utah Jazz.

Mavericks coach Dusty May is in his first NBA season after coaching Michigan, and he spoke about the Cup before Friday’s tip-off.

“Absolutely. I mean, I don’t know what the money part of it is, but we have a chance to compete for a tournament. We’re going to compete for a tournament,” May said. “So, yes, there’s a little bit added there, and also just the way we performed on opening night at Houston. I think that left a bad taste in all of our mouths. And so we’re excited to see how much we’ve improved since game one.”

In college, May said, tournaments that pack three games into three days are normal, and some stretch to four games in five days. He said the Cup schedule will not be anything out of the ordinary for him.

“When I was watching as a fan, I’d turn on and notice the court and notice that there was something else on the line. So the league’s done a good job with it. I think it’s improved every year,” May explained. “So, like I said, we’re excited to compete.”

Irving’s 35 points were his most in a game since Feb. 25, 2025, six days before he tore the ACL in his left knee. Dallas hosts the Sacramento Kings on Monday at 7 p.m. CT, four days before the Jazz come to town for the Cup game.