Cooper Flagg's first game, Mavericks' opening day matchup revealed

Schedule news is already starting to come out for the NBA, with the full schedule set to come out sometime in the next few weeks. ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania has revealed the Christmas Day games as well as the opening day matchups.

The Dallas Mavericks have a Christmas matchup against the Golden State Warriors, but they weren't featured on the first day of the NBA schedule, with that saved for the Houston Rockets playing the OKC Thunder and the Golden State Warriors facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21st.

NBA insider Marc Stein revealed that the Dallas Mavericks' first game will come at home on October 22nd against the in-state rival San Antonio Spurs.

If the Mavericks’ provisional schedule holds, Dallas will play San Antonio at home on Opening Night on Oct. 22 in a showdown pitting No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg against No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, league sources tell @TheSteinLine and @DLLS_Sports.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2025

The Mavericks and Spurs have a long-standing rivalry from the Tim Duncan-Dirk Nowitzki battles, and the two teams may be headed toward a second similar era. San Antonio drafted Victor Wembanyama first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he looks like a future all-time great if he can stay healthy.

This game will also feature a battle between the top two picks of the 2025 NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Both the Mavs and Spurs made massive jumps in the NBA Draft Lottery with the luck of the ping pong balls. That will help fuel this rivalry for at least the next decade.

Oct 24, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Keldon Johnson (0) and Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

San Antonio should be much improved if they're healthy. They just signed De'Aaron Fox to a four-year extension, Stephon Castle will be in his second season, and Dylan Harper rounds out what should be a great backcourt of the future. They then brought in Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk to bolster the center rotation behind Wembanyama.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, have an interesting roster that people are skeptical about. Kyrie Irving is out for at least the first half of the season after an ACL injury, and the Mavs seem over-crowded in the frontcourt with Anthony Davis being the marquee name.

No Marquee Matchup Against Luka Doncic, Lakers Yet

Many expected either opening day or one of the Christmas Day games to be against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. So far, that hasn't been the case. The Lakers will play the Warriors on opening day for a LeBron James-Stephen Curry matchup, and then the Housto Rockets on Christmas to face off against Kevin Durant.

If that holds, the Mavericks' first matchup against the Lakers in the 2025-26 season would likely come after Thanksgiving in NBA Cup Group Play.

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