The Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers square off to open their respective 2016-2017 NBA Season stints at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on Oct. 26, Wednesday.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Dallas and Indiana have both re-tooled their rosters during the summer and it would be interesting to see how the new players will fit in with their new teams in this season-opening match.
The Mavericks are still Dirk Nowitzki's team with Deron Williams and Wes Matthews still manning the backcourt. The team has added two players from the Golden State Warriors' 73-9 squad last season in Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, who are both expected to start alongside Nowitzki, Williams, and Matthews. They have also acquired Stephen Curry's younger brother Seth in the offseason.
Point guards Devin Harris and JJ Barea are unavailable in this game because of separate injuries so the younger Curry will have the opportunity to showcase his skills under head coach Rick Carlisle this early.
SB Nation indicated that Curry may actually play a "career-high in minutes per game" this season as the Mavs needs more shooting from the backcourt, particularly from beyond the arc.
Dallas is expected to make the playoffs in the stacked Western Conference, but most likely in the lower seeds, as they remain to be one of the best all-around teams in the league. With the addition of Barnes and Bogut, the team has gotten even better defensively as soon as the two completely settles to Carlisle's system.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are now led by former assistant and now head coach Nate McMillan. The team has added a trio of veterans in Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson, and Aaron Brooks with Teague expected to start alongside superstar Paul George, Monta Ellis, Myles Turner, and Thaddeus Young.
McMillan's starting five is more of an offensive unit and could challenge even the stingiest defenses in the league.
Sports Chat Place noted that Indiana has "the potential to be a top-four team in the East this season" if their bench, consisting of Jefferson, Brooks, C.J. Miles, Lavoy Allen and Rodney Stuckey, will be consistently productive.
Brooks and Miles are currently out due to separate injuries.
Prediction
George is the best player in the said game and they are playing at home so the Pacers are favored to win this one by a small margin.