Dallas plays two more preseason games before opening the regular season October 21 at Houston, starting with New Orleans on October 14. Four Mavericks tagged questionable this week share the same return estimate, raising the chance a healthier rotation takes the floor against the Pelicans.
A Short Runway To Houston
Dallas hosts New Orleans on October 14, carried by NBA TV, then Atlanta on October 16, before opening the regular season October 21 at Houston. The Mavericks reach the Pelicans game having had three days off and only two games in the previous week, with no back-to-back on the schedule. New Orleans arrives with five days between games, but it's the Pelicans' third straight game away from home, a tougher trip than Dallas is making.
New Orleans Travels, But Scores
Jamahl Mosley's team finished last season 26-56 with a net rating of -4.4 at a 101.4 pace, numbers that put New Orleans squarely in the group Dallas should be controlling. The Pelicans still have shooters who can turn a slow start into a track meet: Trey Murphy III averaged 21.5 points last season, Zion Williamson 21.0, Bennedict Mathurin 17.6 and Saddiq Bey 17.7, with Herbert Jones the wing defender assigned to the Mavericks' best scorer. Dejounte Murray's right toe has him questionable for October 14, which would cost New Orleans a ball handler on the road.
Dallas's Health Picture Turns
Marcus Sasser, Lively, Johnson and Aldama are all questionable this week, and all four carry the same return estimate: October 14, the Pelicans game. If even half of that group suits up, Dusty May gets a deeper rotation than he's had through preseason. The roster also grew by three on October 13, with Darin Green Jr., Chris Mantis and Matt Cross all joining, pushing payroll to $197.9 million, over the cap and under the tax line, part of an 18-contract payroll taking shape before the opener.
Who do the Mavericks play this week?
Dallas hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on October 14 and the Atlanta Hawks on October 16, both preseason games, before opening the regular season October 21 at Houston.
Are the Mavericks getting healthier for the Pelicans game?
Marcus Sasser, Lively, Johnson and Aldama are all questionable with the same October 14 return estimate, meaning several regulars could be back for that game.
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