Mavericks 2019-20 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
The 2019-20 campaign is when the future officially becomes the present for the Dallas Mavericks.
Last season was about more than just wins and losses, and it showed with a 33-49 record. Rather, it was more about the combination of a sendoff for legend Dirk Nowitzki prior to his retirement and a proverbial passing of the torch to Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic.
Doncic will take the full spotlight this season with Nowitzki no longer making headlines, and he will have one of the league's best young big men in Kristaps Porzingis helping him along the way.
Porzingis did not play in 2018-19 as he recovered from a torn ACL, but Dallas acquired him from the New York Knicks via trade with its eyes on the upcoming season.
That season will officially arrive on Oct. 23 when the Mavericks take on the Washington Wizards in the opener.
2019-20 Details
Season Opener: Oct. 23 vs. Washington Wizards
Championship Odds: 75-1 (via Caesars)
Full Schedule: NBA.com
Top Matchups
Atlanta Hawks (First Game: Feb. 1)
The Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks are not historic rivals and won't be directly battling for playoff spots in opposite conferences, but their two young stars will forever be linked to each other following a 2018 draft-day trade that sent them to their respective teams.
Doncic and Trae Young battled for Rookie of the Year and are the primary reasons the Mavericks and Hawks both have bright futures.
There will be an element of individual pride in these matchups for each, even if they won't directly admit it means more than just another regular-season game against a foe from the other conference.
Consistently beating the Hawks isn't crucial for Dallas when it comes to making the playoffs in the Western Conference, but the matchups between Doncic and Young will be appointment viewing as each develops and looks to fulfill their All-Star potential.
San Antonio Spurs (First Game: Nov. 18)
The Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are Texas opponents who faced each other in multiple postseason classics throughout the Nowitzki era, but this season's matchups will mean more than just a rekindling of the rivalry.
San Antonio figures to be one of the teams Dallas will have to battle for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.
The Spurs were the No. 7 seed last season, but the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and 10th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers figure to make leaps in 2019-20 after combining to add Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Anthony Davis. There will be a shake up in the Western Conference standings, and the Spurs' 22-year playoff streak could be in jeopardy.
If the Mavericks are going to be the ones to take advantage of that, they will need to earn some head-to-head victories against their rivals after San Antonio won all four matchups in 2018-19.
Houston Rockets (First Game: Nov. 24)
The Houston Rockets are another Texas rival for the Mavericks and represent a measuring-stick matchup in the West.
Houston is on the short list of title contenders and is just one season removed from reaching Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Dallas can gain confidence and move up the standings if it is able to win some of these games.
These are also measuring-stick contests for Doncic, who will have to face the backcourt of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. There is nowhere to consistently hide on defense against that tandem, meaning the youngster will be tasked with stopping one of them throughout much of the game.
If Doncic is going to deliver as the face of the franchise and lead Dallas into the upper-echelon of the league, these are the types of showdowns he will need to win along the way.
Prediction
That the Mavericks won 33 games last season—a nine-game improvement from 2017-18—is a testament to Doncic's greatness from the moment he arrived in the NBA.
Second-leading scorer Harrison Barnes played just 49 games for the team before it traded him to the Sacramento Kings, and third-leading scorer Tim Hardaway Jr. played just 19 games after coming over as part of the Porzingis deal.
Thanks to a bevy of roster moves, Dwight Powell was the only player outside of Doncic to appear in more than 50 games for Dallas and score more than 10 points a night (10.6). The Rookie of the Year had a rotating supporting cast but still managed to average 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals a night.
He should finally have some stability in place with Porzingis as a second option, Hardaway back on the wing and Powell down low. That alone should help Dallas improve on last year's record, and the possibility of Porzingis returning to All-Star form gives it a dynamic duo to match some of the pairings around the Western Conference.
There is still too much talent in the West for the Mavericks to fully make the leap and reach the playoffs, but they are headed in the right direction.
Record Prediction: 41-41
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
