The Dallas Mavericks kicked off their 2025-26 campaign against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday at the American Airlines Center, [a thrashing by Victor Wembanyama and Co](/dallas-mavericks-game-coverage/51304/mavericks-spurs-final-score-125-92-recap-cooper-flagg-victor-wembanyama-san-antonio-dallas). Now that the ball is rolling it got us looking ahead to the rest of the calendar for our annual tradition. Every season there is, inevitably, a handful of games that get you off your couch questioning God or planning a parade route. These are the Rage/Rejoice games of the season. The unexpected ones where the personal stakes are higher and the emotions are stronger. Here, the games that will make you rejoice. Whether it’s teams they have no business beating, or rivalry wins that feel a bit sweeter. Pop the champagne, we’re going streaking.
Even though divisions don’t matter in the NBA, the Mavericks have no favors facing the volume of young big man talent in the Southwest. The aforementioned Wembanyama at the top of that food chain, but there really is no rest anywhere you turn.
Circle November 21, when the Mavericks host the Pelican in group play of the NBA Cup. While one can assume they won’t exactly matchup opposite each other, it will be fun to see Cooper Flagg face off against another former Duke Blue Devil in Zion Williamson. With added stakes (your mileage may vary) to this November game ahead of the holidays, this should be a highlight-filled home game to lock into, where the Mavericks surprise media and threaten to advance in the upstart tournament. Speaking of Flagg…
Flagg made his Madison Square Garden debut with the Duke back in February of this year. He posted 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, including this smooth move to the rim.
By Flagg’s college standards it was a modest performance. But strange start time aside, the rookie will be deep into his first season, have his legs under him, and will be more comfortable with the ball in his hands by the Mavericks visit to New York for their MLK Day matchup. Plenty of eyes will be on this moment, televised nationally on NBC and Peacock. The Knicks have a lot of big defensive bodies to throw at him, but mark this game as a moment Flagg comes into his own as a pro.
The defending champion Thunder lost just 14 times last regular season. Three of those losses were at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. And this was the pre-Luka trade Mavericks, so the Thunder weren’t checked out and feeling pity on their opponent down I-35. You can’t explain it, I can’t explain it. But last season’s Mavericks (and the playoff Mavericks the summer before that) had the Thunder’s number.
A lot has changed since those pre-trade wins. Luka is gone, the Thunder bulked their way to the 2025 title, and the Mavericks are on a quest for a new identity. On paper I’m not sure the Mavericks have any business sticking with OKC. [Not if the opening night version of the Mavericks show up](/dallas-mavericks-game-coverage/51314/stats-rundown-3-numbers-from-mavericks-debut-against-spurs).
But by March 1 they won’t be the opening night squad. First the Thunder have been plagued by one man: Paul Jamaine Washington. The Mavericks forward has pestered them in the playoffs and regular season — PJ just shows up, and he does again here. And this time he’ll be playing off of a returned Kyrie Irving. Who is to say when Irving returns and how much he’ll really have in the tank this season. But for the sake of argument (and dreaming) we’re assuming the starting scoring guard returned nearer the all-star break, got some rhythm games under his belt, and this March 1 game is the moment he gives Mavericks fans hope that they still have some juice heading into next season.
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