Mavericks
Kyrie Irving waited nearly 600 days to play another regular-season game. The Rockets welcomed him back with double teams.
Irving finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in the Mavericks’ 128-110 opening loss Wednesday, shooting 6-of-9 from the field. He also committed four turnovers as Houston pressured him and challenged his teammates to generate offense.
As Austin Veazey of Mavericks On SI writes, Dallas responded by putting the ball in Cooper Flagg’s and Naji Marshall’s hands more frequently. Finding ways to free Irving from that pressure will be an early assignment for coach Dusty May.
It was Irving’s first regular-season appearance since tearing his ACL on March 3, 2025. He played in two preseason games, but Wednesday brought a different level of attention from the defense.
His shooting was encouraging. The larger problem was Dallas’ inability to sustain its offense after a productive first quarter. Houston outscored the Mavericks 38-12 in the second, building a 32-point halftime lead.
Flagg supplied 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting, offering Dallas another player capable of creating against a set defense. The Mavericks will need that help as Irving works his way back into a regular workload.
Dallas faces the Pacers on Friday and Spurs on Saturday. Veazey anticipates Irving could play only one game of that back-to-back as his return continues.
Hawks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker opened his follow-up to a Most Improved Player season with 31 points in Atlanta’s win over the Magic.
He scored 11 in the fourth quarter and went 5-of-8 from three-point range, including two important late threes, as Jackson Caudell of Hawks On SI details. Alexander-Walker credited his teammates with helping him find a rhythm after early foul trouble, rather than presenting the performance as a response to doubters.
“I think the main thing is just for me to continue to be myself,” he said. “I’m making my own identity.” He added that any message he wanted to deliver would be about the team. “I stopped worrying about the narrative that I can create because there’s always somebody that’s going to hate. There’s always somebody that’s going to cheer you up.”
Magic
Paolo Banchero’s scoring and passing gave Orlando plenty of offense, but turnovers and defense spoiled the opener. Banchero recorded at least 35 points and 10 assists while shooting at least 80% from the field, becoming the first player to reach those marks in a season opener, according to Ryan Kaminski of Magic On SI.
Orlando nevertheless allowed 132 points and committed 20 turnovers. Kaminski identified improved spacing and an emphasis on finding shots for the team’s best shooters as encouraging elements under new coach Sean Sweeney.
Desmond Bane and Tristan da Silva each attempted 10 threes, though the Magic made roughly a third of their 40 attempts overall. Getting organized defensively and protecting possessions will need to accompany those offensive changes.
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