The Mavericks hope to have an electric season, but they had none on Monday.

Literally.

Rick Carlisle showed up at the Biosteel practice facility about his usual time – 7:18 a.m., he said – only to arrive to the news that some vehicle had run into a power pole and a transformer was knocked out.

As a result, there were no lights, no nothing at the practice gym and the team’s business offices for several hours. This, just two days before the Mavericks are to open their NBA season at Phoenix.

Chalk it up to more of the same for 2020.

“This is a season where you’re going to have to be very nimble, you’re going to have to be able to adjust and pivot very quickly because there are going to be unexpected things going on,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “For instance, (with no) power in the practice facility, within 10 minutes, we had to change the whole logistics of our day.”

This would be problematic for creatures of habit under the best of circumstances.

Throw in the fact that COVID-19 rapid testing had to be done and players still have to practice medical protocols and it gets a lot tougher.

Finding another gym wasn’t hard. The Mavericks ended up practicing across Stemmons Expressway at American Airlines Center at the old practice court, a single court downstairs in the subterranean level of the building.

As always, Carlisle took the high road.

“It’s a microcosm,” he said, “of the kinds of things that are going to have to happen.”

Green returns home: After spending his final high-school years in Phoenix and his only season in college down the road in Tucson, Ariz., at the University of Arizona, Josh Green’s first NBA game will come in his stomping grounds as the Mavericks open up against Phoenix on Wednesday.

And while all that’s great, Green doesn’t want to treat it like some sort of grand homecoming.

“It is crazy – I get to go back to Phoenix, and my family lives in Phoenix now,” Green said Monday. “And one of my close friends is (Suns center) Deandre Ayton, so we’ve been super-close from a young age. We actually played high-school basketball together.

“But I’m focused on the game. Personally, I’d love to see my family, but it’s a business trip. If I get to see my family, that’s great, but realistically I’m going there to play a game and have fun on the court.”

Green and Ayton were together for one year at Hillcrest Prep Academy.

“I’d just moved to America and we played one year together,” Green said. “He’s always been there for me. That’s my guy.”

As for starting his NBA career after being the No. 18 pick in last month’s draft, Green said: “It’s awesome. The last couple weeks have been really busy. I’m a rookie, so going into it I have no idea what to expect. But I can’t wait to get on the court on this first road trip and help the team out and get some wins.”

Carlisle said it’s likely that Green will see action on his first road trip.

“He’s had a good preseason,” Carlisle said. “He’s a great practice player, knows the game, goes hard, works extremely hard. He’s a no-nonsense guy who just competes.

“He’s earned some respect with our veterans. We like him, otherwise we wouldn’t have drafted him at 18 and he’s got a chance to play some for us. That’s good for him and good for us.”

Briefly: The Mavericks will fly out to Phoenix on Tuesday after practice, which presumably will be back at the Biosteel facility . . . Tipoff Wednesday will be 9:30 p.m. and the game will be on ESPN.

Twitter: @ESefko

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