The pairing Dallas has been building its season around is finally arriving. Irving will share an NBA floor with Flagg for the first time in a Mavericks jersey on Friday, when the preseason opens against the Houston Rockets at the Venetian Arena in Macao.

The nine-time All-Star has been given a full green light after a 19-month absence that began with a torn left ACL on March 3, 2025. Head coach Dusty May said he could not imagine the 34-year-old guard being any sharper than he is now, pointing to a recent airborne collision in practice where Irving flipped and landed in a handstand without losing position.

Irving: “The confidence of a champion”

Irving walked into media day sounding like a player who had been waiting a long time to say it.

“I’m ready to go out there and kick some butt,” he told reporters at the Mavericks’ preseason media day on 25 September.

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He described the injury as “probably the best thing that happened to me,” and said the months away forced him to think about “where I want to be as a player and most importantly where do I want to be as a man.”

On the court, he put it more simply: “I have the confidence of a champion.”

Flagg: “He makes it easy to play with him”

Flagg, the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and the reigning Rookie of the Year, has spent the summer on the court with his new backcourt partner. He was asked at media day what playing with Irving actually looks like.

“Ky’s one of those guys, playing alongside him, I feel like he just makes it easy to play with him,” Flagg told reporters, according to Yardbarker.

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Irving returned the compliment, calling the 19-year-old “wise beyond his years” and predicting he will “lead this franchise into the future.”

Two games in Macao, then Houston again

Dallas and Houston play a second preseason game at the Venetian Arena on Sunday, October 11, the NBA confirmed when tickets went on sale in August. Tip-off for the opener in Macao is at 7:30pm local time.

Those two games are the only preseason action Irving is scheduled for outside the United States before Dallas opens the regular season at Houston on October 21. May indicated he intends to use Irving selectively through the preseason, saying he would coach him only “when I’m able to add value” to a player who “has seen and done as much as just about anyone in the association.”

The Rockets they will see on Friday are not a soft landing: Houston arrives in Macao with Kevin Durant, two-time All-Star center Alperen Şengün and 2024-25 All-Defensive First Team guard Amen Thompson.

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