The Dallas Mavericks announced their 2023 preseason schedule on Wednesday, which tips off against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023.
Dallas and Minnesota will go head-to-head in two games on Oct. 5 and 7 at 11 a.m. CT (8 p.m. local time) at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Following their matchups with the Timberwolves, the Mavericks will continue their international exploits against Luka Dončić’s former club, Real Madrid, in Spain on Oct. 10. It will mark Dallas’ first preseason game against a non-NBA team on foreign soil since it faced Alba Berlin in Berlin, Germany, and FC Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, in 2012.
The Mavericks will conclude their exhibition slate at home against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavericks will open the 2023-24 regular season on the road against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 25.
2023 DALLAS MAVERICKS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
DATE
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OPPONENT
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TIME (CT)
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LOCATION
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VENUE
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Thu. Oct. 5
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@ Minnesota
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11:00 a.m.
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Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
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Etihad Arena
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Sat. Oct. 7
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@ Minnesota
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11:00 a.m.
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Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
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Etihad Arena
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Tue. Oct. 10
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@ Real Madrid
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1:45 p.m.
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Madrid, Spain
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WiZink Center
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Fri. Oct. 20
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vs. Detroit
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7:00 p.m.
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Dallas, Texas
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American Airlines Center
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The NBA announced Thursday that the Dallas Mavericks will begin the 2023-24 schedule on the road against No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in a nationally televised game(ESPN) on Wednesday, October 25.
National Television:
Dallas is currently scheduled to play 28 nationally televised games, including nine on ESPN, nine on NBA TV, eight on TNT, and two on ABC.
Home-Opener:
After opening the season against division-rival San Antonio on the road, the Mavericks will return to American Airlines Center to face Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets in their home opener on Friday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. CT. It will mark Dorian Finney-Smith’s first game against his former club.
Christmas Day:
The Mavs will travel to Phoenix to battle the Suns on Christmas Day.
Road Trips:
The Mavericks will play three four-game road trips in 2023-24 (November 12 to 18; February 25 to March 1; March 25 to 31).
NBA In-Season Tournament:
The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament will begin on Friday, November 3, and culminate with the championship on Saturday, December 9. Dallas will open group play on the road against Nikola Jokić and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Friday, November 3, at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN. During group play, the Mavericks will also face the L.A. Clippers at home (November 10), New Orleans on the road (November 14), and Houston at home (November 28).
Eight teams (four per conference) will advance to the knockout rounds following group play.
The games across both stages of the In-Season Tournament will count toward the regular-season standings except for the championship.
December & January are full:
The Mavericks are scheduled to play a season-high 16 games in December and January. Dallas has a season-long seven-game homestand from January 3 to 15, which will mark just the second time in the last 10 seasons that the club will play a homestand of seven-or-more games (8 games, February 4 to 23, 2021).
Back-to-Backs:
Dallas is slated to play 13 back-to-backs. Of those back-to-backs, five begin and end on the road, four are road-to-home, three are home-to-road, and one requires no travel (begins and ends at home).
Marquee Matchups at Home:
The Suns’ trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal will make two trips to American Airlines Center this season (January 24 and February 22).
The Warriors’ quartet of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Chris Paul will also visit Dallas twice in 2023-24 (March 13 and April 2). Jokić and the Nuggets will make their lone trip to Dallas on March 17.
Notable matchups against Eastern Conference teams in Dallas include meetings with Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks (January 11), Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics (January 22), Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (February 3) and Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers (March 3).
On Thursday, the NBA released the 2023-24 regular season schedule, which begins on Oct. 23 when the Lakers travel to Denver to face the world-champion Nuggets, and the new-look Suns head to San Francisco to face the Warriors.
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games and two games designated as TBD dates and opponents. Those two games for each team, to be played the week of Dec. 4, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
NBA In-Season Tournament
NBA-In-Season Tournament Group Play games for all 30 teams will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV combining to televise 16 games. Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7), and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).
The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced later.
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day.
Bucks face the Knicks in New York (noon ET/ESPN).
The two most recent recipients of the Larry O’Brien Trophy will go head-to-head when the 2022 NBA champion Warriors visit the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets (2:30 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC).
Next, the Lakers will host the Celtics (5 p.m. ET/ABC) as the longtime rivals meet on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years.
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with two more games on ESPN, with the 76ers taking on the Heat in Miami (8 p.m. ET) and the Mavericks playing the Suns in Phoenix (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 15, the NBA family will continue the tradition of honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration will include four nationally televised games.
In a TNT doubleheader, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Spurs (3:30 p.m. ET), and the Grizzlies will meet the Warriors (6 p.m. ET) as Atlanta and Memphis continue their traditions of hosting games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
NBA TV will air two games: Houston Rockets at 76ers (1 p.m. ET) and Oklahoma City Thunder at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Election Day
For the second consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7).
All-Star Game
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season (Sunday, Apr. 14). The seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference matchup will start at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Play-In Tournament/Playoffs/NBA Finals
The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, Apr. 16 – Friday, Apr. 19, followed by the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Saturday, Apr. 20.
Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is set for Thursday, Jun. 6.
National Television Games
-Golden State Warriors will have the most nationally televised games this season with 41. The Lakers are next with 40, Phoenix has 37, Celtics are fourth with 34, and the Bucks and Nuggets will have 30 apiece.
-2023 NBA Finals rematches between the Nuggets and Heat will occur on Thursday, Feb. 29, in Denver on TNT (10 p.m. ET) and Wednesday, Mar. 13, in Miami on ESPN (7:30 p.m. ET).
-The top two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft – No. 1 pick Wembanyama of the Spurs and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets – are scheduled to meet for the first time in the regular season when San Antonio hosts Charlotte on Friday, Jan. 12 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET).
Additional Schedule Highlights
-All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2023-24 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
-The team average for back-to-backs involving travel between games has been reduced to a record-low 9.0. The previous low was 9.6 last season.
-Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will again be played at 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET except for one instance during the first week of the season.
-ABC will televise 16 games as part of its two weekend series, NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC (which tips off with the Jan. 27 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and NBA Sunday Showcase (which begins with Celtics at Heat on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET).
-NBA TV will feature Center Court throughout the season. In the season debut of the franchise, the Warriors will visit the Pelicans on Monday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET).
-The 2024 NBA Finals and the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively. TNT will exclusively televise the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
Complete NBA Schedule:
2023-24 NBA SCHEDULE BY DAY (PDF)
When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving from the Nets in February, the goal was to form a lethal combination with Irving and Luka Doncic, but the Mavs had some injuries, did not play well, and missed the playoffs.
However, Dallas believes the pairing can be successful, and according to Shams Charania, Irving will be back in Dallas and has agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal, with a player option in the third season.
Irving, 31, is still one of the purest scorers in the NBA. Last season, in 20 games with the Mavericks, the eight-time All-Star averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.
The Doncic and Irving pairing can work, especially if they put the right pieces around them. Additionally, Irving would need to stay healthy and be reliable. Jason Kidd will have an offseason and training camp to make it work.
Mavs bring back a familiar face
Seth Curry is back in Dallas. According to reports, it’s a two-year deal. Last season, Curry, who played for the Brooklyn Nets, averaged 9.2 points on 46% shooting from deep. Curry had two previous stints with the Mavs(2016-17, 2019-20).
Powell returns
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Dwight Powell has agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal with the Mavs; last season, the 31-year-old averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per contest.
The nine-year veteran will provide depth for the Mavs frontcourt.
Exum is coming to Dallas
Dante Exum is back in the NBA. According to Wojnarowski, it’s a guaranteed deal. The former No. 5 overall pick last played in the NBA with Cleveland in 2o21.
Last season, Exum led Partizan, of the Euroleague, to a championship.
The 27-year-old has battled injuries throughout his career. He tore his ACL in 2015; he battled a shoulder injury in 2017; in 2018, Exum suffered a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee.
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Mavs GM Nico Harrison is hoping to build a team around Doncic and Irving and is hoping to build a championship team. Again, Dallas missed the playoffs last season, which was a clear disappointment, and they don’t want that to happen again.
On Tuesday, the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 will feature the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves playing two preseason games on Thursday, Oct. 5 and Saturday, Oct. 7 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 are part of a multiyear collaboration between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that last year saw the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks play the league’s first games in the Arabian Gulf.
In January, the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi launched an expanded second season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, featuring boys’ and girls’ leagues each composed of 450 players ages 11-14 from schools across the UAE capital. The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event.
The Mavericks currently feature four-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić as well as 2016 NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving. The Timberwolves currently feature three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Third Team member Karl-Anthony Towns, three-time NBA All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and 2023 NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards.
When the Dallas Mavericks sat many of its top players for the final two games of the regular season, including Kyrie Irving for both games and Luka Doncic(who played one quarter against the Bulls), many accused the Mavericks of tanking, and the league agreed.
On Friday, the NBA announced that the Mavericks organization has been fined $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the league in an elimination game against the Chicago Bulls on April 7.
According to the league, the Mavericks violated the league’s player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organization’s desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The league did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win.
“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, in a press release. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”
Dallas, who missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season, is looking to keep their pick, which is a top-10 protected pick. If the pick lands after 10, it goes to the Knicks(Porzingis trade), so if all goes well, Dallas will at least keep the 10th pick, which could allow the Mavericks to add talent around Doncic and, if he stays, Irving.
The Dallas Mavericks(38-43) were officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the visiting Chicago Bulls 115-112 on Friday night.
Dallas will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Entering this game, Dallas was a 1/2 game behind the Thunder for the 10th and final spot in the Play-In Tournament, but now it’s over, and the Mavs are okay with it.
Dallas sat Kyrie Irving(foot), Christian Wood(rest), Maxi Kleber(hamstring), Josh Green(rest), and Tim Hardaway Jr.(ankle). Luka Doncic played little over one quarter on “I Feel Slovenia” night, scoring 13 points, so it was clear what the Mavs’ plans were for this game and the season-finale; this team waived the white flag of surrender and was looking to tank.
“Understanding it’s not so much waving the white flag,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said after the loss. “Decisions sometimes are hard in this business, and you have to make hard decisions, and we’re trying to build a championship team, and sometimes you got to take a step back. Understanding, again, with this decision, maybe a step back, but hopefully, it leads to us going forward.
“Again, it’s not always easy to make decisions, but these are decisions that are made from my bosses, and we got to follow them. We trust Cuban and Nico to put the pieces together to put us in a position to win a championship, and so that’s just starting the process today.”
At this point, the Mavs focus on next season. Dallas is currently slotted for the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The draft lottery could change that, but it’s a good chance they stay at 10. If they remain at 10, their pick, which is top-10 protected, would not go to the Knick(Kristaps Porzingis trade), which gives the team more assets to go after more talent. In addition, it appears the team wants to re-sign Irving and build around Doncic and Irving going forward.
Back to this season, what a disappointment. When the Mavs acquired Irving in February, many felt this team could make noise in a wide-open Western Conference. At the time, the Mavs were 29-26 and the fifth seed in the West. Unfortunately, things never came together, and Dallas is 9-17 after the trade.
Regarding the tank, again, the West is wide open, and anything could have happened once they got into the Play-In Tournament, but again, the white flag was raised, and now it’s on to the NBA Draft Lottery, NBA Draft, free agency, and more.
On Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks lost another game after falling to the Atlanta Hawks on the road 132-130 in OT. With the loss, the Mavericks remain the 11th seed in the Western Conference and are one game behind the 10th-seeded Oklahoma Thunder, who also lost on Sunday night.
OKC(38-41) holds the tiebreaker over Dallas, so they basically have a two-game lead over the Mavs for the 10th seed, the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.
However, OKC’s final three games are against the @Warriors, @Jazz, and Grizzlies at home, while the Mavs’ (37-42) last three games. all at home, are against the Kings, Bulls, and Spurs. The schedule favors Dallas, but it might not matter based on how they’re playing.
Dallas, who allowed an average of 130.5 points per contest in the last two, has lost three straight and seven of their last eight.
Based on a report, the schedule and how Dallas is playing may not even matter.
According to Shams Charania, there are reports that the Mavs could shut down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the final three games of the season, which means the Mavs have closed the door on the 2022-23 season and set their sights on next season.
If the Mavs lose out, more than likely, they will keep the pick that they owe to the Knicks, which is a top-10 protected pick(2023). If the pick lands after 10, it goes to New York. According to Charania, getting a top-10 pick in the draft will give Dallas more assets to go after talent that could help Doncic and Irving.
The trade for Irving has been bad at this point, but it’s not Irving’s fault. Injuries have plagued this team since the trade, and Doncic and Irving have missed multiple games, and still battling injuries right now.
No one expected the Mavs, who made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, to be in this position when they traded for Irving, but they are; we’ll see what their next steps will be this season.
The Dallas Mavericks hoped to gain ground in the standings on Friday night as they hosted the lowly and shorthanded Charlotte Hornets.
However, Charlotte(24-51), without Kelly Oubre Jr. and Terry Rozier, led by as many as 21 points and held on late to defeat the Mavs 117-109.
With the loss, Dallas(36-38), who now have lost three straight, including two straight at home, is now the 11th seed in the Western Conference, so if the playoffs started today, they would not make the playoffs nor the Play-In Tournament.
The Mavs never led after the first quarter and allowed the Hornets to score 37-first quarter points, which did not please their head coach Jason Kidd.
“It was awful. Dogs***,” he said. “I think just understanding the talk before the game of what we’re playing for – playoffs or championship – and to come out in that first half, but more-or-less that first quarter, and give up 37 [points]. The interest level just wasn’t high. It was just… disappointing.”
Luka Doncic, who led the Mavericks with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, had interesting comments after the loss. According to Doncic, he’s not playing with happiness.
“I mean, yes. It’s really frustrating,” he said. “I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes, I don’t feel it’s me. I’m just being out there. I used to have fun smiling on the court, but it’s been so frustrating for a lot of reasons – not just basketball.”
Doncic referred to some things of a personal nature happening outside of the game, but he did not get specific.
The Mavs are about to embark on a five-game road trip, which starts Sunday in Charlotte against these same Hornets.
Kyrie Irving, who had 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, says the team can’t make any excuses or point fingers.
“I have been in positions before in the season when we have been under .500 and scratching and clawing to get into the playoffs,” he said. “It’s not a position you want to be in, but it’s our reality, and we have to face it. There is no time for excuses or pointing fingers – just move on to the next game and do all that we can to prepare in the best way. We knew tonight was a very winnable game against the Hornets.”
Dallas, who have eight games left, is 9-15 against Eastern Conference teams, and their next five, all on the road, are against teams from the East, including the 76ers and Heat, so it will be challenging for the Mavs. Look, the Mavs could miss the Play-In Tournament and the playoffs; it’s a real possibility, especially considering how they played on the road(14-22) this season.
“I understand that we’ve got eight games left, so we’re still in control of this, but our effort has to be a little bit better from the start,” Kidd said.
Seeing how these final eight games play out for Dallas will be fascinating.
Notes:
-P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points, tied for his second-best scoring output on the season.
-Dwight Powell (7-7 FG) and Christian Wood each added 14 points for the Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been fined $35,000 for directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official, the league announced on Friday.
According to the league, the incident occurred with :01.7 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Mavericks’ 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 22 at American Airlines Center.
In that game, Doncic, who returned after missing five games with a thigh injury, had 30 points, seven rebounds, and a season-best 17 assists against the Warriors, was seen making a money gesture toward a referee.
Dallas gets back at it on Friday night as they host the Charlotte Hornets.
