Mavericks are reportedly set to open the 2025-26 season vs. the Spurs in a rookie showdown before a Christmas Day matchup at the Warriors.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are in line for two major national TV spotlight games next season — one to open the regular season and another on Christmas Day.
Dallas will reportedly tip off its season at home on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs in a matchup featuring the league’s top two draft picks — No. 1 overall Cooper Flagg and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the details.
This will now be the third straight season the Mavs have started their season against the team’s Texas rival. The Mavs beat the Spurs 120-109 to start the 2024-25 season.
On Christmas Day, Dallas will be heading west for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, per Shams Charania. That game would be part of the NBA’s traditional holiday showcase airing on ABC and ESPN, placing the Mavs squarely in front of a national audience for one of the league’s most-watched days of the season.
The Christmas clash means fans won’t get a Luka Doncic home game in Dallas or a holiday meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers. However, according to a report from NBA correspondent Marc Stein, the NBA announced that group play of the NBA Cup will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 28, which means the Mavericks at Lakers game would fall on the day after Thanksgiving.
Elsewhere on Opening Night, the league is planning a doubleheader on Oct. 21 with the Houston Rockets visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors facing the Los Angeles Lakers on NBC, according to Shams Charania.
The rest of the NBA’s Christmas Day lineup is expected to reportedly feature Cleveland at New York, San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Houston at the Lakers, and Minnesota at Denver, according to Charania.