ESPN Takes Away Upcoming Mavs National TV Game
Dallas Mavericks fans hoping to watch next week's clash with the Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN will need to find a new way to watch the game.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that it has shaken up its Dec. 1 schedule, replacing the aforementioned Grizzlies vs. Mavericks clash with a showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics instead, per Dallas Morning News' Brad Townsend.
ESPN has dropped the Dec. 1 Mavs-Memphis game for something better. Surprised it wasn’t this way in the first place. pic.twitter.com/Y05y4r4uhf
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) November 21, 2023
The schedule change isn't because of the Mavericks, who own a 9-5 record.
A chunk of the blame should be placed on the Grizzlies, who've played to a putrid 3-10 record during Ja Morant's suspension. You can't exactly fault ESPN for wanting to keep one of the league's worst teams off of a national broadcast.
Another reason behind the change is because of how well the 76ers and Celtics have been playing. They're two of the NBA's top three teams and represent a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. That's without mentioning the star-studded rosters that include the likes of Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and more.
The good news for Mavericks fans is that they won't have to wait too long for another nationally broadcasted game. They face the LA Clippers on NBA TV this Saturday evening before playing four games on national television during December, including a Christmas Day clash with the Phoenix Suns on ESPN.
While it's fun beating up on bad teams, hopefully, none of the Mavericks' future opponents are bad to the point where those games are taken off national TV, too.
In other Mavericks news:
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