Top scenes from Rockets, Mavs' trip to Macao, China, for preseason slate

• 

  ESPN staffOct 8, 2026, 08:00 AM ET

The NBA preseason slate sends the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets across the world for a doubleheader in Macao, China, on Oct. 9 and 11.

Houston and Dallas are the second set of teams to play in Macao. The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets competed in the gambling hub last season, marking the return of the NBA to China after a yearslong hiatus. Similar to last year, the Rockets and Mavericks will be playing at Macao's Venetian Arena.

A trip overseas tends to bring a team closer together ahead of the long grind of the regular season. While the preseason action might not indicate how a team performs when the games begin to count, it's the off-court activities that can make an impact in the end.

Here's a look at the top sights and sounds from the Rockets-Mavericks trip in Macao.

A hometown welcome

With a flight time that can reach or exceed 20 hours, finally touching ground can be a relief. When each respective team arrived at their hotels, fans made sure to show the players love.

Room tour from an unlikely source

Rockets' fans got an inside look at the rooms for each player courtesy of big man Steven Adams. The 6-foot-11 center shared a video of his setup, which included a bowl of fruit, Rockets-themed pillow and Egyptian cotton.

Picture-perfect setting and love for Kyrie and Durant

It's not a trip to a new location without a memorable group photo. The Mavericks and Rockets separately posed near a body of water with the Venetian Macao set in the background.

As Dallas snapped its picture, fans flocked to greet the team -- specifically, star guard Kyrie Irving. The same occurred for Houston star Kevin Durant.

Mavs making presence felt

After the first practice in Macao for the Mavericks, the team already needed to find replacements for two items: a chair and a rim. Forward Naji Marshall broke a rim, explaining "I'm too strong and I've got too much power," before he signed it and the team collected it. Marshall then broke a chair while sitting down.

Adams and Bogdanović take in Macao

The Rockets center and his teammate Bogdan Bogdanović made sure to look around Macao to get a feel for the city. They went to the ruins of Saint Paul's, which is the facade of what was originally the church of Mater Dei built between 1602 to 1640. The duo then had some street food, all while a huge crowd followed along.

Views from Hong Kong

It takes 55 minutes to an hour to travel from Macao to Hong Kong via a ferry. A Dallas quartet of Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, Dwight Powell and Sergio de Larrea took advantage of the distance. The group traveled to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

Yao Ming ... is still growing?

The Rockets legend visited the NBA Macao house with fellow Rockets great Cuttino Mobley. While at the venue, Mobley found a cardboard cutout of the 7-foot-6 center. Remarkably, when Yao approached it, it seemed like he had grown. He joked: "I have something in my shoes."

KD, Kyrie hang out

The two future Hall of Famers shared a moment together on the court in Macao, chatting it up and laughing.

For the kids

Young fans were more than thrilled to meet their heroes in Macao, and both Durant and Flagg were happy to oblige.