The NBA heads to Macao next month. The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets will play two preseason games at The Venetian Arena on October 9 and 11, as part of the NBA China Games 2026, the league’s signature international event of the preseason calendar.
For both franchises, the games carry weight beyond the scoreboard.
Two franchises with clear reasons to be there
The Rockets connection to China runs deep, rooted in the Yao Ming era and reinforced by decades of fanbase loyalty across the country. Houston remains one of the most-followed NBA franchises in China, and the league has long used that bond as a commercial and cultural bridge.
The Mavericks have a different kind of tie. The team’s ownership group, the Adelson family, also controls Sands China, the company that operates The Venetian in Macao – the exact venue hosting the games. That alignment made Dallas a natural fit for this particular location.
Both teams enter October with rosters worth watching. Cooper Flagg carries the Mavericks’ hopes as the centerpiece of their rebuild, while Houston brings a young core that just locked in Amen Thompson on a five-year, $208 million extension through 2032.
More than two games
The NBA is surrounding the on-court action with its standard international event structure. NBA House and NBA Fan Day will serve as fan engagement platforms, alongside youth basketball clinics designed to develop the sport at the grassroots level in the region.
Coverage will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories across television, digital, and social media, making the games a global marketing window as much as a competitive one.
Preseason games rarely change a season’s outcome. But for two young rosters still finding their footing, two games in a packed arena in Macao, before an audience that cares deeply about the sport, are not nothing.
Key dates
Mavericks vs. Rockets at The Venetian Arena, Macao: October 9 and October 11, 2026. Broadcast details are expected to be confirmed closer to the date. The regular season opens October 20, which means the China Games serve as the final competitive shakedown for both franchises before the real thing begins.
Sources: ESPN | NBA.com | NBC Sports
