The Mavericks and Rockets might be back on a collision course.
For a while, Dallas’ in-state heat seemed to have cooled off with Houston. The Mavericks have had bigger enemies in the West - the Thunder after the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers now that Luka Doncic is in Los Angeles, and even the Spurs, who have shared Dallas’ last two home openers and will do so again next season. But the NBA’s schedule release on Thursday gave Mavericks-Rockets a chance to claw its way back into the conversation.
The calendar wastes no time. Dallas faces Houston twice in its first six games, starting with the season opener on the road. The teams are also grouped together in the NBA Cup, and their October 30 meeting will be the first Group Play game for both sides.
That alone would be enough to create some buzz, but the schedule goes even further. The Mavericks and Rockets will meet twice in the preseason, on October 9 and 11, as part of the NBA China Games in Macao. By the time Dallas gets to its sixth game of the regular season, the two teams will have seen each other four times in three weeks.
That kind of frequency tends to leave a mark, and the stakes get a little sharper with the NBA Cup in the mix. Their sixth game doubles as both clubs’ opener in Group Play, where every result matters for staying alive in the race to the Knockout Rounds.
There’s also a star matchup that gives these games some extra juice. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be facing off again, with the two having previously shared the floor as teammates with the Brooklyn Nets. On top of that, Dallas had interest in trading for Durant after acquiring Anthony Davis in 2025, only for Houston to land him instead - a move that left plenty of Mavericks fans wanting KD in Dallas frustrated.
The bigger picture is just as important. Dallas and Houston should spend the season fighting for ground in the West.
The Rockets are the more established team right now, having reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons while the Mavericks have not. Still, Dallas has a chance to make up that gap.
The Mavericks made moves to address their shooting, bringing in Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, Tarik Biberovic, and Zaccharie Risacher through trades. If the roster holds together and the health breaks right, Dallas has a path to being much better than it was a year ago.
That doesn’t mean the climb will be easy. The Mavericks will need real improvement across the board to get back to the playoffs and push Houston in the standings.
But with this schedule, the tone could be set early. If the games are tight, the rivalry has a real shot at feeling alive again.
In Other News...
Dereck Lively II Recovery Carries Big Stakes For The Mavericks Frontcourt
Dereck Lively IIs recovery is becoming one of the more important subplots of the Mavericks offseason as he works back from season-ending foot surgery. Dallas general manager Mike Schmitz said Lively has been putting in the work at the team facility, and the big man has already progressed beyond the walking boot as he continues his rehab. For a frontcourt that has been reshaped with added depth, Livelys status still matters because of the role he was starting to carve out before the injury.
The unresolved part, though, is the timeline. Schmitz stopped short of offering any specific return date, leaving the Mavericks to monitor his progress without a firm answer on when he might be back in full basketball activities. With training camp and a new season drawing closer, Livelys recovery remains a key variable for a team trying to sort out its frontcourt rotation and make sure it has enough size and reliability up front. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team trying to settle into a season and stack wins, that kind of calendar pressure matters. Back-to-backs are never just about one game on the schedule, especially when they pile up alongside travel and other taxing stretches, because they can shape how a coaching staff handles rest and how consistently key players are available. The Mavericks do not have the most punishing road map in the league, but they are still one of several teams that will spend a lot of the year navigating it. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Hit A Frustrating Wall In Klay Thompson Talks
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That leaves the Mavericks in a tricky spot, because the cleaner paths they might have hoped for have not really materialized. Other possible routes involving Bobby Portis or Davion Mitchell also look doubtful, which means the talks have drifted into a standstill for now and Dallas is still waiting on a trade partner willing to meet the price. [Read more 🡒]