It’s finally “go time” for the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, teams with differing expectations, when the Lone Star State rivals open their season on Thursday in Dallas.
The Mavericks are in the hunt for a league title, while San Antonio is just trying to fight its way back to respectability after a long rebuilding stretch.
Dallas went 50-32 in 2023-24 and beat the Spurs in all four of their meetings on the way to the Western Conference title.
Led by guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks are again expected to compete for the top spot in the West after addressing their 3-point shooting deficiency by signing free agent Klay Thompson in the offseason.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd has played things close to the vest as far as the rest of his starting lineup. The center spot will be manned by either Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II, while P.J. Washington will likely start at power forward.
Key reserves for the Mavericks include guards Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy, forwards Naji Marshall and Maxi Kleber and center Dwight Powell. Guard Dante Exum is expected to miss the first three months of the season after undergoing wrist surgery.
Doncic did not play in the preseason while nursing a left calf contusion but has been a full participant in recent practices and has been cleared to play on Thursday.
His absence has kept the Mavericks’ “Big Three” of him, Irving and Thompson from playing together, but Doncic said Tuesday that the expected rapport would come with time.
“There’s not much to adjust to (for me),” Doncic said. “If Klay’s open, he’s going to knock it down. It’s Klay Thompson, one of the greatest shooters ever. His motivation is always high. He’s a competitor. He wants to win. Like every other season he wants to win a championship.
“It’s gonna be fun out there,” Doncic said.
The Spurs went 22-60 last season, finished 14th in the West and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season despite Victor Wembanyama’s Rookie of the Year campaign.
The touted 20-year-old Frenchman piled up 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game in his debut season.
Wembanyama started 71 games last season, leading San Antonio in scoring in 31 contests and pacing the team in rebounds in 48. The 7-foot-4 center’s 254 blocked shots were the most in a season since 2015-16 (Hassan Whiteside, 269).
“The more I grow into my career, the more I realize it’s important to work on the fundamentals,” Wembanyama said. “There’s a big emphasis that’s been put on my game this summer, which is taking advantage of really simple situations.”
The Spurs added veteran point guard Chris Paul and forward Harrison Barnes in the offseason. That pair and Wembanyama will be joined by forwards Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan in the starting lineup as sharpshooting guard Devin Vassell recovers from a stress fracture in his foot.
Vassell is expected back sometime in November.
Keldon Johnson will lead the reserve unit that includes fellow guards Tre Jones, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and rookie Stephon Castle along with forwards Zach Collins and Sandro Mamukelashvili and center Charles Bassey.
San Antonio is guided by Gregg Popovich, who enters his 29th year at the Spurs’ helm. His 1,388 career wins are the most in NBA history.
