The Dallas Mavericks will open their quest for NBA glory in the 2024-25 campaign with a meeting against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center on Friday.
Having reached the NBA finals last time out, the Mavericks will be looking to go one better this term, while the Spurs are seeking a much improved showing off the back of finishing bottom but one in the Western Conference.
Match preview
Returning to the biggest stage of American basketball for the first time in 13 years, the Mavericks were comprehensively beaten by eventual winners Boston Celtics in a gentleman's sweep, extending their wait for a second championship after the heroics of 2011.
Nonetheless, it was a more than impressive campaign overall for Jason Kidd's men, who bounced back from finishing 11th in the West and missing the playoffs to record their second 50-win season in three years.
The Mavericks then downed the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves en route to a Western Conference title, losing just a combined five games across all three series.
After defeats against the Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and the Clippers to begin their pre-season journey on a rough patch, the Mavericks wrapped up their warm-up involvements with a 109-84 triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
In the absence of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving led the way in scoring with 14 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, while Klay Thompson had a more productive night than his scoreless outing prior, chipping in with 11 points.
A chance to kick off the new NBA season on a high now lies in wait for the Mavericks against an opposing side who have been beaten in 11 of the most recent 12 meetings, including all four of last season's encounters.
Despite drafting the number one pick in Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs endured a second straight disappointing season as they finished 14th in the Western Conference, ahead of only the Portland Trailblazers.
However, this is by no means a slight on Wembanyama, who won the Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, justifying his status as one of the biggest prospects in basketball.
One of the biggest areas of concern for the Spurs last season was the lack of an elite point guard, but that has since been addressed with the acquisition of Chris Paul, and the veteran has been tasked with leading a young group of players, most of whom are 25 years old or younger.
A 129-107 defeat against the Houston Rockets in their final pre-season outing at the Toyota Center saw Gregg Popovich's men finish with a 2-3 record over five exhibition clashes heading into Friday's curtain raiser in Texas.
With most of the Spurs starters given the night off, highly-rated draft pick Stephon Castle was the major driving force in offence for his side, tallying 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in his 24 minutes on the court.
After ending last season with three wins from their final four matches, the San Antonio Spurs will be keen to pick up where they left off and kick off the new campaign with a victory on the road before consecutive home matches against the Rockets.
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Team News
Dallas Mavericks' Jaden Hardy was recently handed a three-year rookie contract extension and is expected to play a key role in the second unit with lots of competition still to navigate in the starting lineup.
Kessler Edwards missed all pre-season games through a sprained ankle but is making significant progress towards recovering and could feature on Friday.
All-star point guard Luka Doncic (calf) is well on course to return to action after missing his side's win over the Bucks, while Maxi Kleber (ankle) should also be back in time to suit up.
Brandon Boston Jr and Jamaree Bouyea are both unavailable for the San Antonio Spurs having been waived, but Riley Minix is in contention after his training camp contract was converted to a two-way deal.
Chris Paul, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama are all expected to return to the starting five after a rest in the Spurs' defeat to the Rockets last time out.
With Devin Vassell still sidelined, Stephon Castle could be handing a starting role on his NBA debut, although Keldon Johnson will also be pushing to start alongside Christ Paul in the backcourt.
Dallas Mavericks possible starting five:
Doncic, Irving; Thompson, Washington; Gafford
San Antonio Spurs possible starting five:
Paul, Castle; Barnes, Sochan; Wembanyama
We say: Mavericks to win by 9+ points
The San Antonio Spurs have made some decent additions to their roster during the off-season, and that should translate to a better regular-season record this term.
Having said that, we can see them falling well short against the Dallas Mavericks in Friday's opening fixture.
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