The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

Dallas Mavericks: An honest breakdown of the season schedule

By Kohl Rast

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 24: J.J. Barea #5 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Utah Jazz on February 24, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 24: J.J. Barea #5 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Utah Jazz on February 24, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 8
Next
SHENZHEN, CHINA – OCTOBER 8: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers defends against the Dallas Mavericks during the game as part of the 2018 NBA China Games at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre on October 8, 2018 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
SHENZHEN, CHINA – OCTOBER 8: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers defends against the Dallas Mavericks during the game as part of the 2018 NBA China Games at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre on October 8, 2018 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) /

January

Total games: 15

Home games: 7

Away games: 8

Games against Eastern Conference opponents: 9

Games against Western Conference opponents: 6

Game to watch: The Philadelphia 76ers are going to be a very interesting team to keep an eye on this year and, after a couple great matchups between them and the Mavs in preseason, this one should be pretty entertaining, taking place on January 5th.

The Mavs will have to figure out a way to slow down Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons but the rest of the roster is still fairly hit and miss. Meanwhile, the Mavs should be able to bring about a more constant roster with help from top to bottom, especially on offense. That would definitely be useful. I think the Sixers might be too much for Dallas this time.

Easiest game: This should give you a pretty good idea of how difficult the Mavs schedule is in the month of January. The Charlotte Hornets aren’t exactly a pushover team, although it is expected that they will have trouble making it into the playoffs this year. Kemba Walker is still one of the most dangerous point guard’s in the league.

Dallas will play the Hornets on January 2nd, the first game of the New Year. Wanting to start 2019 off on the right foot, I think Dallas will use this game to show what they are capable of against a team still searching for an identity. Expect the Mavs t dominate in the front court.

Hardest game: The San Antonio Spurs are a completely different team than we have seen in over 20 years. For the first time since 1997, the Spurs don’t have Tim Duncan, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili on the roster. The Spurs big three is gone and a new identity will have to be built.

So why is the Mavs hardest matchup of January coming against the Spurs on the 16th? Because no matter what we try, San Antonio will still have Gregg Popovich, the Mavs worst enemy. I don’t think the new Spurs are significantly better than the Mavs, but I have a feeling they will run away with this one.

Home/Mavs News