Dallas Mavericks’ amount of back-to-backs in 2022-2023 NBA schedule is encouraging

The Dallas Mavericks found out their schedule on Aug. 17. They open the regular season in Phoenix for a playoff rematch against the Suns, and fans get treated to a Christmas Day game in Dallas for just the second time as its Luka Doncic versus LeBron James to ring in the holiday.

The Mavs play 13 back-to-backs in the 2022-2023 regular season. Every team was scheduled for 12 to 15 sets, so Dallas was on the low end. The league gave them 30 nationally televised games, and they are expecting plenty of entertainment value from Luka and company.

Not all back-to-backs are created equal, so here is a closer look at why the Mavericks 13 this season were encouraging.

Dallas Mavericks’ amount of back-to-backs in 2022-2023 NBA schedule is encouraging

First, four of the team’s 13 back-to-backs involve zero travel. Their first one is on Oct. 29 and 30, but both games are at home, which happens again on Nov. 15 and 16. Dallas also plays two sets later on in the season where they go to Portland and Sacramento and stay for two straight games. In those two, there is no rest disadvantage, so they might as well not even be back-to-backs.

The real encouragement is the teams the Mavericks play on the second night of a back-to-back. It begins with Orlando, Washington, and Houston, which are three teams that are expected to be in the lottery. Dallas might be able to win those games, even if they rest some players.

The Mavs have their two toughest back-to-backs next. They are in Toronto and Milwaukee two straight days in November, and they host the Suns before traveling to Denver in early December. Put down two schedule losses for the Mavericks right now on those second nights of the back-to-backs.

After that, the teams on the second night are Chicago, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Indiana, and Atlanta. The Mavericks get the retooling Jazz on the front end of their back-to-back that finishes against New Orleans. Yes, there are some playoffs teams in there, but no juggernauts.

The schedule broke favorably for the Dallas Mavericks. They did not get swamped with 15 back-to-backs, and the ones they received were on the mild end. That should be encouraging as the Mavs look to build on their run to the Western Conference Finals. They need to get back into the top four and get home court in the first round if they want to make another deep postseason run. Stay tuned to see if they can make it happen.