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Kyrie Irving Returns in Mavericks Preseason Win: Fantasy Roles to Watch

Kyrie Irving returned with 17 points in Sunday's NBA preseason win. See how his availability changes the fantasy outlook for Cooper Flagg, Max Christie and Dallas's guards.

Cover The Slate author avatarBy Alexander JohnPublished 2 min read
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Kyrie Irving returned to the Dallas Mavericks’ starting lineup Sunday, October 11, scoring 17 points with three assists in 21 minutes, 56 seconds against Houston in Macao. Dallas won the NBA China Games preseason matchup 132-115. It was Irving’s first game since the left knee injury he suffered in March 2025, ending an absence of more than 19 months.

Contents

The official NBA game page confirms the October 11 matchup. This was a preseason appearance, not clearance for any particular regular-season workload. Dallas will have more chances to evaluate Irving’s availability and combinations before its October 21 regular-season opener at Houston.

What changes for Dallas?

Irving’s return puts an established lead guard back alongside Cooper Flagg. Flagg finished Sunday’s game with 14 points and seven assists, and Max Christie added 14 points. P.J. Washington also returned to the preseason lineup and scored 10. Dallas can now evaluate its offense with Irving initiating possessions rather than treating its opening exhibition without him as a settled rotation.

Irving’s 22-minute appearance was useful evidence of an actual return to game action. It was not an announced minutes restriction or a promise that he will start, play that amount, or carry a specific usage rate when the regular season begins.

Fantasy and future DFS impact

The key question is how Dallas divides ballhandling among Irving, Flagg, Christie and rookie Sergio de Larrea. Flagg’s seven assists Sunday show he can still create alongside Irving, but a single preseason game cannot establish their regular-season distribution. De Larrea played a reserve role and finished with nine points and four assists; his long-term opportunity is less certain when the veteran guards are available.

If Irving remains available, Dallas has less need to rely on emergency lead-guard work from Christie or Naji Marshall. If the team later limits Irving’s workload, those secondary creators and de Larrea could gain opportunities, but no such regular-season restriction has been established. Watch the next coaching updates, starting combinations and actual minutes before translating this return into fantasy or DFS expectations. Follow additional roster developments in our NBA News coverage.