It's a new era with fresh faces on the Dallas Mavericks, and they have a lot to prove in the 2026-27 season. But with the NBA releasing its schedule Thursday afternoon, let's say they didn't do the Mavericks any favors to start.
Houston, Indiana, San Antonio, Miami, Oklahoma City and Houston again will be the first six opponents for the Mavericks this season. Yikes.
Three of those teams have played in the NBA Finals for the past two years. It shows the basketball gods didn't play around here, but the Mavs can't do anything about it. They've got to ride strong and get past the first six games before they can get to one of the league's bottom feeders, the Sacramento Kings.
NBA didn't do the Mavericks any favors in the schedule release
The Mavericks fired Nico Harrison after a 3-8 start last season, and while that's only the first 11 games, it matters how you start and finish in this league.
Playing Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Şengün once in a quick span is one thing, but playing them twice in six games is awful enough. The Rockets are championship contenders, and they are adding to that with VanVleet returning from injury.
The Spurs embarrassed the Mavs in their home gym on opening night last season, and they're coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Not to mention, Victor Wembanyama is an MVP candidate for years to come and is coming off a Defensive Player of the Year award. Even though the Spurs massively embarrassed themselves in last year's Finals, they are widely considered one of the favorites to win.
The Thunder are the 2025 champs, but the Mavs' defense has been enough to rattle them over the past few years. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the back-to-back MVP with a lot to look forward to in the years to come. His jump shot looks almost automatic and can give the new-look Mavs a lot of problems.
The Pacers may be the weaker of the bunch, but Tyrese Haliburton is coming off an incredible 2025 run and will return after missing last season due to injury.
Miami is off a high from getting Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Heat bench has a lot of questions. Chances are Miami gets off to a good start to their season, but midway through, their bench depth starts to catch up.
The good news: the Mavs have plenty of defensive depth and can create matchup problems, even against San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Morez Johnson Jr. is coming in with a boatload of energy, and playing as the mean, tough machine on defense can give Dallas some momentum advantages.
If Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II can stay on the court, it's even more reason to be optimistic about the entire season.
The future for Cooper Flagg is so bright, and it's important the fanbase doesn't get too far ahead of itself here. There are still opportunities throughout the season, but this six-game stretch to start is pretty brutal.
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