Dallas plays three preseason games this week, two of them against Houston, before the slate that actually counts opens Oct. 21 at Houston. Johnson, Lively and Aldama all carry unresolved injury tags into Friday's game, each sharing the same Oct. 9 target to return.
Two Trips Against Houston
Dallas and Houston share the floor twice in five days, Friday at home and Sunday on the road, both carried by NBA TV. That double dose of the Rockets previews the Oct. 21 regular-season opener, when the same two teams meet again in Houston for the game that actually counts. Houston is one of Dallas's oldest in-state rivals, so three looks at the same opponent in less than two weeks is as much about continuity as it is about reps. New Orleans closes the week on Oct. 14, the last tune-up before the record moves off 0-0.
Who's Out This Week
Johnson, Lively and Aldama are all unavailable for now, and all three share the same Oct. 9 target to return. Johnson's issue is a lower leg problem, Lively is working back from his right foot, and Aldama's is undisclosed. A clean return for any of them gives Dusty May a fuller look at his rotation before Sunday's rematch in Houston, let alone the Oct. 21 opener that actually counts. None of the three has played with this group in a game that matters yet, so Friday is the first real evidence.
The Lineup Dusty May Wants
Last season, the Washington-Gafford-Christie-Flagg five, filled out with Williams, posted a +2.2 net rating over 73 minutes across 14 games, with a 116.8 offense and 114.6 defense. Swap Williams for Marshall and the same core fell to -0.6 net over 92 minutes in 16 games. A third grouping of Davis, Marshall, Christie, Flagg and Nembhard collapsed to -10.9, with a defense that bled 121.2. Flagg and Christie anchored all three looks, so the swing factor for May's rotation is always whoever plays alongside Washington and Gafford up front.
When do the Mavericks play next?
Dallas hosts Houston on Oct. 9, the first of three preseason games this week before the regular season opens Oct. 21, also against Houston.
Who is unavailable for the Mavericks right now?
Johnson, Lively and Aldama are all out for now, each with the same Oct. 9 target to return.
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