[T](https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/onsi/dallas-mavericks-kyrie-irving-speaks-after-preseason-return-injury-)he Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets took their Texas rivalry on the road to Asia for some preseason games, and one of the highlights was the return of Kyrie Irving.
Irving missed 586 days after blowing out the ACL in his left knee, and he’s now 34, which means that his playing days are mostly behind him.
He’s got a fair amount left in the tank, though, and watching Irving and Flagg team up with Dereck Lively, as soon as he’s good to go, will be a lot of fun.
In Irving’s return Sunday, the former Duke star scored 17 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and shelled out 3 assists. For his part, Flagg finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.
To borrow from Casablanca, this could be the beginning of a beautiful partnership.