The Mavericks are in Macao ahead of two preseason games against Houston, and Dallas fans will need an early alarm to follow the trip live. The team’s China Games page lists Friday’s game at 7 a.m. Central and Sunday’s at 5 a.m. Central, both at The Venetian Arena.
Those dates are October 9 and October 11. NBA.com’s Wednesday Starting 5 report says both games will be shown on NBA TV. They are neutral-site exhibitions; the travel and surrounding events come before any regular-season results.
The league’s current report described crowds gathering for the Mavericks’ photoshoot outside The Venetian, autograph sessions and practice. Cooper Flagg said it was his first visit to Asia, while Kyrie Irving described the support he has received there since he was a teenager.
That gives the same trip different meaning for two Dallas players. Flagg is experiencing the setting for the first time; Irving is returning to a place where he already has a connection with fans. Neither comment establishes playing time or availability for the two games.
Houston has also arrived and begun its preparations. NBA.com described fans welcoming Kevin Durant at the team hotel, a Steven Adams room tour and Alperen Sengun signing autographs after practice. The next basketball evidence comes when the teams take the court.
The broader event was announced by the NBA and Sands China in January. The league said the two-game program would include NBA House and NBA Fan Day, youth basketball clinics and a Community Impact Week organized by NBA Cares and Sands Cares. Those activities explain why the visit extends beyond the arena’s game schedule.
The two games are part of a wider NBA program rather than a regular-season home-and-away set. The January announcement identified Houston and Dallas as the participating teams and said the games and surrounding events would receive international television and digital distribution. The neutral setting also gives both teams the same venue for two preseason meetings.
The two starts translate to 8 a.m. and 6 a.m. Eastern. Dallas lists both games as neutral-site contests. No playing-time commitments or injury clearances were announced in Wednesday’s trip report.
