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The Big D Breakdown · Morning

Mavs' Countdown: Preseason and Opener Both Run Through Houston

Preseason opens Oct. 9 against the Rockets, the same team that hosts the regular-season opener Oct. 21.

2026-10-09 vs RocketsPreseason Openerfirst of four exhibition games
2026-10-21 at RocketsRegular Openersame opponent as preseason
-5.2Last Season Net22nd in the league
0-0Recordseason has not started
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 16

Dallas has gone quiet on the roster front, so the read this morning is the calendar: a four-game preseason slate that opens and nearly closes against the Rockets, then a real opener versus that same team on Oct. 21. Last season's group finished 26-56 with a -5.2 net rating, and Dusty May's first training camp is the chance to move that number before the games start counting.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Rockets Show Up Twice

The preseason schedule opens Oct. 9 at home against the Rockets, then flips to Houston two days later on Oct. 11, before home dates against the Pelicans on Oct. 14 and the Hawks on Oct. 16. Three weeks after that, the games start counting, and the regular-season opener on Oct. 21 sends Dallas back to Houston for a third look at the same opponent inside a month.

Three Names On The Clock

Kyrie Irving, Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II are all working toward a return target of Oct. 1, more than a week before that preseason opener. If each clears that mark, Dusty May gets a full camp look at his rotation before any game carries real weight.

The Number To Beat

Last season's Mavericks finished 26-56 with a -5.2 net rating, an offense that ranked 27th in the league and a defense that ranked 19th. Dusty May inherits that scoreboard as his starting point, and the preseason slate against Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta is the only evidence anyone gets before Oct. 21 tells the real story.

When do the Mavericks play their first preseason game?

Dallas opens the preseason at home against the Rockets on Oct. 9, 2026.

When does the Mavericks' regular season start?

The regular-season opener is Oct. 21, 2026, on the road against the Rockets.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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