From the moment Klay Thompson decided to leave the Warriors for the Mavericks, the most anticipated game of the season became the first Dallas trip to San Francisco. Now, we know the date for that game.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Mavericks will be heading to Chase Center on Tuesday, Nov. 12, for a nationally televised game on TNT.
The game will also be the first of the NBA Emirates Cup, the in-season tournament that debuted last season, with the Mavs and Dubs both set to play in West Group C. It’ll add some extra juice to what should be a highly charged night for Warriors fans and for Thompson.
The full NBA schedule is anticipated to come out this week, as mid-August has been the usual time for the league to debut the upcoming season’s schedule. The NBA season is set to start Oct. 22, with Charania reporting that the opening night doubleheader will feature the Knicks at Celtics and the Lakers hosting the Timberwolves.
Charania also reported Friday that the Christmas Day slate will feature the Warriors hosting the Lakers in the fourth of five games on the holiday, pitting longtime foes and recent Olympic friends Steph Curry and LeBron James against each other.
It’ll be the second time in recent history that the Lakers and Warriors have faced off on Dec. 25, with the other matchup coming in James’ first season as a Laker in 2018. LeBron-Steph showdowns happened in the three prior seasons as rematches from the NBA Finals, when James was still with the Cavaliers.
