Kyrie Irving scores 17 for Mavs in China, his return game after 2025 knee injury

Kyrie Irving waited nearly 600 days for his return to the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks didn’t keep him waiting any longer for his welcome-back basket. Irving got a reverse layup on the game’s opening possession Sunday night, setting the tone for him scoring a team-high 17 points in the Mavericks’ 132-115 preseason win over the Houston Rockets in Macao, China. It was Irving’s first game action since he tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3, 2025. “It was just impressive,” Dallas coach Dusty May told reporters in a postgame news conference. “His physical condition, his mental condition,…