2 Thoughts From Mavericks' Preseason Win Over Rockets, Kyrie Irving's Return

The Dallas Mavericks closed out the 2026 China Games on Sunday against the Houston Rockets, and while it was just the preseason, it was our first look at Kyrie Irving since he tore his ACL in March of 2025.

Dallas got the win, 132-115, making up for Friday's loss. Dereck Lively II, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and John Poulakidas didn't see the floor in this one, though Poulakidas was the only one who didn't have an injury designation.

Houston sat Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Jae'Sean Tate, so it wasn't a pure look at what the Mavericks could be against a top team.

Still, any look at Kyrie Irving is one worth tuning into. Here are two things I took away from this win.

Trio of Top Picks All Stood Out

The Mavericks have three former first overall picks on their roster: Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Zaccharie Risacher.

Flagg wasn't as clean in this game as he was in the first preseason games, but still filled the stat sheet with 14 points (3/10 shooting, 7/8 FT), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 stocks.

Kyrie Irving, in his first taste of NBA action in 19 months, had 17 points in about 22 minutes, and got the game started with a vintage Irving layup where he fell to the ground and popped right back up.

He had some of his usual magic, like when he received a tap-out with the shot clock winding down and nailed a three from the logo. The highlight of the game came when Flagg had a chase-down block, and then the ball was kicked ahead to Irving, who hit a three in transition from the left wing.

Zaccharie Risacher, who got the start at shooting guard over Max Christie, had 16 points in 23 minutes.

These are all great pieces to build on.

Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/7wfDusOLRv
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 11, 2026

Moussa Cisse May Be Gone

When the Mavericks re-signed Dwight Powell, they did so with the intent that they would make a true attempt to create a roster spot for him. Through two preseason games, it seems like they're leaning towards waiving Moussa Cisse.

Powell played nearly 15 minutes in this game to Cisse's 7, and Powell is just a much better player right now. While Cisse technically has more potential as a younger player, he's already 24 years old and is still so raw. The alarming thing in this game was being out-rebounded in his limited minutes.

The Mavericks may have matched the offer sheet that he signed with the New York Knicks this offseason, but waiving him wouldn't come as a surprise at this point.

The next preseason game for the Mavericks will be on Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans in Dallas.

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