The Dallas Mavericks will open the 2021-22 regular season on Oct. 21 with a road game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The game, pitting Mavs All-Star point guard Luka Doncic against Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young, will be televised on TNT at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Doncic and Young, of course, were traded for each other on the day of the 2018 NBA Draft, adding more intrigue to this matchup.
The Mavs also will play a Christmas Day game at the Utah Jazz at 9:30 p.m. CDT on ESPN.
The NBA released the schedules for televised games on the first week of the season — and for games played on Christmas — in a nationally televised event on Tuesday afternoon on NBA TV. The complete schedule will be announced on Friday.
The Mavs’ Christmas Day game will be the fifth and final NBA game televised on that day. Other games on Christmas include the Hawks at the New York Knicks at 11 a.m. on ESPN, the Boston Celtics at the Milwaukee Bucks at 1:30 p.m. on ABC, the Golden State Warriors at the Phoenix Suns at 4 p.m. on ABC, and the Brooklyn Nets at the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. on ABC and on ESPN.
As far as the Mavs-Hawks game is concerned, NBA TV analyst Stan Van Gundy said: “This is going to be a fun game to watch. When you can turn on the TV and in the same game watch Trae Young and Luka Doncic, there’s going to be a lot of people wanting to see that one.
“Luka Doncic, as we saw again in the Olympics this summer (with Slovenia), just does things that very few other people can do. At his size, to be able to handle the ball and take over a game — both scoring and setting up teammates. . .These are two teams both looking to make a major step forward this coming year. They’re going to want to get off to a great start. That’s going to be an exciting game to watch.”
Greg Anthony, an analyst on NBA TV, also paid homage to Doncic, who has made the All-Star game in each of the past two seasons.
“I don’t know that we’ve ever seen anybody who can play the game at this level at this age when you factor in everything,” Anthony said of the 22-year-old Doncic. “The pace at which he plays, how much usage he has, how efficient he’s become and how he lives for the big moment.
“So I’m really excited to see if this Mavericks’ team can now get to the point . . . are they going to be a legitimate title contender with the revamping of the roster, a new coaching staff, maybe a new philosophy. There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a Mavs fan.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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