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Considering how hated the Dallas Mavericks front office was to end the 2024-25 season, they managed to land on their feet like a cat with its full nine lives. After trading away Luka Doncic in a traumatic trade for the Mavs fanbase, Dallas ended up missing the playoffs and lucked into the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft — replacing Doncic with potentially another generational star in Cooper Flagg.
Even with Doncic now donning the Los Angeles Lakers' Purple and Gold, the Mavericks are set up to compete, both in the immediate future and for the next few years. Their chances of competing in the stacked Western Conference next season, of course, hinges on whether or not Kyrie Irving recovers back to superstar status.
However, in the NBA Cup, that point will be rather moot. Irving is not slated to return to action until January at the earliest, which means that he'll be missing the entirety of the NBA's in-season tournament — putting the Mavericks on the backfoot.
With the NBA having released all 30 teams' schedules for the 2025-26 season, it's time to predict how the Mavericks will fare, particularly in the NBA Cup where some interesting storylines are sure to develop.
Mavericks face old pal Luka Doncic in NBA Cup West Group B
Last year, the Mavericks made it to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. They finished tied for the group lead with the Golden State Warriors after finishing the group stage with a 3-1 record, but they ended up being relegated to the wildcard spot after they lost the head-to-head against the Warriors.
The Mavs ended up facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the quarterfinals and ended up losing — putting an end to their 2024 NBA Cup journey. Can they one-up themselves this year?
They might find it difficult to do so, especially with Irving on the mend. They'll be facing the Lakers in a game that will draw plenty of fanfare, with Doncic looking to stick it to his former team. And then joining the Mavs and the Lakers are two teams that made the playoffs in 2025 in the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies — teams that should give the Mavericks some problems.
Rounding out the group with the Mavs is the New Orleans Pelicans.
Mavericks game-by-game predictions for 2025 NBA Cup
Game 1: Mavericks @ Grizzlies, November 7 at 8:00 PM E.T.
Like the Mavericks, the Grizzlies are likely to miss a crucial part of their starting lineup for this contest with Jaren Jackson Jr. recovering from offseason surgery to repair a toe injury. That puts the two teams at a more level playing field, and this also frees Anthony Davis up to do more damage considering that he'll have an easier time scoring against the likes of Santi Aldama or Zach Edey instead of Jackson.
It's crucial to note that the Grizzlies won three out of their four meeting last year against the Mavericks. But it's important to note that two of those losses came without Davis in the lineup, and in one of their pre-Doncic trade matchups, they were without the Slovenian wunderkind as well.
The Mavericks, provided that they enter this game with Davis and Flagg healthy and no injuries to other notable players, should have the personnel to deal with the Grizzlies, despite being on the road.
Prediction: Mavericks win a close game
Game 2: Mavericks vs. Clippers, November 14 at 8:30 PM E.T.
The Mavericks seemed to have had the Clippers' number over the past few seasons. But now that Doncic is gone, the Mavs don't have that dominant perimeter presence that has his way even against a defense as elite as the Clippers'.
Last year, the Clippers won three out of their four meetings against the Mavericks. Granted, two of those games came against an injury-ravaged Mavs team back in April. But even then, the Clippers only managed to improve their roster from last year, adding John Collins, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul to their Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac-led core. And the Mavs will be without Irving for this matchup.
The Mavs can own the paint against a Clippers team that tends to play small. But with Collins now on the roster, that battle in the paint should be more even now. On the perimeter is where LA will dominate this game, handing Dallas its first NBA Cup loss of the year.
Prediction: Mavericks lose by double digits
Game 3: Mavericks vs. Pelicans, November 21 at 8:30 PM E.T.
The Pelicans might be the preeminent team in the league whose fate depends on their luck on the injury front. Zion Williamson is a walking injury risk, and the team around him isn't the best anymore despite Trey Murphy III's breakout. Dejounte Murray is still injured, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram are no longer on the team, and they are depending on Jordan Poole to be their primary ballhandler.
When looking up and down the roster, it's clear that the Mavericks have the better squad — Irving injury notwithstanding. With the game being at home, the Mavericks will take care of business in this one. And with the Clippers losing to the Lakers in their NBA Cup matchup, the final game will decide which team makes it out alive in the group.
Prediction: Mavericks win by double digits
Game 4: Mavericks @ Lakers, November 28 at 10:00 PM E.T.
It's always going to be a soap opera whenever the Mavericks and Lakers face each other from here on out, and there is added drama to the proceedings, with the Lakers needing to win to secure their spot in the knockout stage.
Doncic, however, clearly has a huge chip on his shoulder, raring to seize the opportunity to prove the Mavericks wrong at every turn. Back on the ninth of April, in Doncic's homecoming in American Airlines Center, he torched the Mavs for a season-high 45 points on 16-28 shooting from the field — his best performance in a Lakers uniform to date.
In a haunting reminder of what they lost, Doncic will be sending the Mavericks home with a dominant performance, knocking them out of NBA Cup contention all while booking the Lakers' place in the knockout stage.
Prediction: Mavericks lose by double digits, get bounced from NBA Cup contention with 2-2 record
