ONE WEEK AWAY FROM HOOPS IN MACAO 🇲🇴 Don't miss Kevin Durant and the Rockets battle Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks in the NBA China Games 2026 tipping off Friday Oct. 9 at 8:00am/et on NBA TV! https://t.co/CFVGXCFDiS
— NBA (@NBA) October 2, 2026
At the 2026 NBA China Games, the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks got a split in the pair of preseason games that they played at the Venetian Arena in Macao. On Friday, October 9th, the Rockets defeated the Mavericks 135-117. Alperen Sengun finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the way for the Rockets while Tari Eason was the top scorer for the Rockets with 20 points. As for Sunday, October 11th, the Mavericks responded with a 132-115 victory as Kyrie Irving was their top scorer with 17 points and three assists. Cooper Flagg also chipped in 14 points, seven assists, and two steals in the victory for the Mavericks as well.
From a basketball standpoint, the biggest story of the weekend was the return of Kyrie Irving, who hadn't played a game since March 3rd, 2025 due to a torn ACL. The fact that he looked as good as he did and was able to produce like that speaks to how well he has been able to recover. If he is able to stay healthy and play at this level, the Mavericks could be a dangerous team this season. I think both teams should feel good about how the weekend went. They both got a win and each showed the best of what they can look like.
As for the event as a whole, it seems like it was a great opportunity for the NBA to showcase their brand in China. Jackie Chan was on hand for the event as was Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming, who played his entire NBA career with the Rockets. Just all around, it was a great pair of nights for the NBA in China.
To touch more on Macao, it is a former Portuguese colony, just like how Hong Kong is a former British colony. The lingua franca of Macao and Hong Kong is actually Cantonese, which is the dominant variety of Yue Chinese, a separate variety of Chinese from Mandarin, which is the dominant form of Chinese across the Mainland. As one who is learning Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese, I thought it was cool for Macao to host this event. It certainly gave the Cantonese community a chance to see some NBA basketball and showcase their culture.
If you are interested in learning more about Cantonese, I highly recommend you check out SaveCantonese.org. It's an organization I've gotten involved with that focuses on preserving, protecting, and promoting Cantonese language and culture. Click here to check out their website.
Going back to the NBA China Games, I think it's neat that the league continues to have a strong footprint in China and more broadly Asia. Basketball is growing in the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and all across the Asian continent. It'll be fun to see where future NBA China Games are held and what other Asian countries the league decides to play in next. I do remember the Sacramento Kings playing at the Tokyo Dome back in the 90s as part of the NBA Japan Games.
As for the Mavericks and Rockets, both teams will be looking to make the playoffs this season. With Kyrie Irving back, the Mavericks are hoping to make some noise in the postseason after finishing 12th in the Western Conference last season. The Rockets are looking to build on a season in which they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers as the 5th seed. I look forward to seeing how they do this season.
NBALord.com on X (Twitter): @nba_lord
NBALord.com on Facebook: @NBALordNation
NBALord.com on Bluesky: nbalorddotcom.bsky.social
Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, & Bluesky: @slamdunk406
