The 10-game nightmare stretch that will make or break the Mavericks' season

All offseason long, Dallas Mavericks fans have anticipated the end of October for the NBA season to start back up again.

This offseason has felt and been much shorter due to Dallas making a run all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals, and now fans can't wait to see how the new additions fit alongside the core that flourished together last season.

Dallas' offseason is headlined by the sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson, and other significant moves include trading for Quentin Grimes and signing Naji Marshall. The Mavs are set to begin the season on October 24 against the San Antonio Spurs at home, and now that the full schedule has been released, fans are starting to circle dates on their calendars.

While most fans are fired up to watch Klay Thompson's return to the Bay on November 12, there are also plenty of other great games to tune into. Dallas has two cracks at getting revenge on the Boston Celtics on January 25 and February 6, and they have a highly anticipated game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day.

Unbelievable 10-game stretch in January will determine Mavericks' fate

While all of the previously listed games are going to be exciting, there is one 10-game stretch of games in January that will make or break the Mavs' season. Every team goes through tough parts of the schedule, but this 10-game stretch in January is like no other.

Starting on January 7, Dallas plays the Los Angeles Lakers at home, and the next nine games are going to be an uphill battle as the Mavs battle for traction in the Western Conference standings. Things lighten up after they play the Lakers as they'll battle the Portland Trail Blazers, but the next two games are going to be dogfights.

Dallas then plays the Denver Nuggets twice in a row at home, and they haven't done particularly well against the Nuggets as of late. The Mavs have lost four of their last six games against Denver, but their most recent game against Denver included a Kyrie Irving left-handed game-winner that every fan remembers from that Sunday afternoon.

After playing Denver twice in a row at home, they'll travel to The Big Easy to play the New Orleans Pelicans before heading back home for a battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is Dallas' first home game of the season against the Thunder, and the energy will be through the roof.

Following that home game against Oklahoma City, Dallas will then travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets, and then the toughest three-game stretch of the season begins. Dallas will play Minnesota at home followed by a road game against the Thunder and then a home game against the Celtics on January 25.

In this 10-game stretch, Dallas plays six games against 50-win teams from last season. Things don't get much more brutal than that. This series of games is right after the new year begins, and although the team should be gelling together considering that it is a couple of months into the season, this stretch of games won't be easy by any means.

The new calendar year marks the time of the season when elite teams start to cement their spot at the top of the standings and show they are real contenders, and the Mavs are going to have some work cut out for them once 2025 hits.

No other stretch of the 2024-25 season is as tough as this one for Dallas, and a dominant stretch here could give them the momentum they need to make a push for a top seed in the Western Conference.