Returning to action after a 19-month absence during which he recovered from a torn ACL, Mavericks acting out Kyrie Irving will play in just one of the team’s two games against Houston in Macau this weekend, head coach Dusty May told journalists, including Christian Clark of The Athletic. According to May, the team has not yet determined whether Irving will suit up Friday or Sunday.
“We will have a limited list” May said Thursday. “Even with Kyrie, he’s going to play one game here. We haven’t decided which one yet. Based on how his body feels, especially with jet lag and things like that. It’s still a no-brainer at this point. We’re working on different lineup combinations. But we’re still not sure at this point.”
When Irving first tore his ACL in March 2025, there was speculation that he would be able to return in the second half of the 2025/26 season. But with the Mavericks out of playoff contention, there was no need to bring him back for a stretch, so he and the team decided to delay his return until the fall.
Irving revealed Thursday that there was another reason his recovery was extended, telling reporters he suffered a Grade 2 calf strain last December. As a result of this injury, the veteran guard was unable to progress in his rehabilitation process for approximately eight weeks.
“It pushed my scale back even further” Irving said, according to Clark. “I had to take my time to heal.”
Here’s more from the southwest:
- Grizzlies head coach Tumoas Isala admitted that Zach Edey was “very rusty” on Wednesday in his first game since December 2025, but having the third-year center back on the floor after ankle problems limited him to 11 appearances last season was a big win for the organization, writes DeMichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “What has it been, nine months?” Edey said after the game. “I was ready to go. … I felt good moving. I felt good on the side and jumping. My timing was maybe a little off. My wind wasn’t quite there, but I felt good moving for sure.”
- Made by Udokstaying in quality RocketsThe head coach has obviously succeeded. After going 59-177 in the three years before his arrival, Houston posted a 145-101 record under Udok. Still, according to the fourth-year coach, a common crossroads is approaching William Guillory of The Athleticwhich suggests that over the next year or two, the organization will have to determine if Udoka is the man to help the Rockets take the next step in the postseason. It’s too early to say that 2026-27 is a do-or-die season for Udoka, Guillory writes, but Houston will want to see progress going forward after back-to-back first-round playoff appearances.
- Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required) looks at what a shooting coach Chip Engellandwhich cooperates with the center Alperen Sengun and a security guard Amin Thompsonbrought to St Rockets. As Shankar notes, Udoka worked with Engelland in San Antonio and said the veteran assistant “really breaks (shooting) down to a science” and has “a special take on it.”
