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The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs will play on October 22 to begin their 2025-26 regular seasons. It also represents the first career regular season contests for 2025 No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. According to NBA Communications, the Flagg-Harper clash will accomplish something that has only been seen once since 1966.
“The scheduled matchup between Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper is set to mark the second time since 1966 that the top two picks in the same NBA Draft will face each other in the first career regular-season game for both players. The previous instance was in 2015 (Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell),” the account shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Flagg was selected first overall by the Mavs in the 2025 NBA Draft. Expectations are extremely high for the 18-year-old. He is the most notable top pick since Victor Wembanyama — who of course plays with the Spurs.
Harper, 19, also has high expectations with San Antonio. He would have been the No. 1 overall pick in many other NBA Drafts. Flagg is considered by some to be a generational talent so he was selected first overall, but Harper has an opportunity to be a star in the NBA as well.
With both players ending up in Texas, there could be a competitive rivalry brewing between the two. The Mavs and Spurs already have a rivalry of course, and now we may see Flagg and Harper go head-to-head for years to come. With the Houston Rockets also set to compete at a high level in 2025-26, Texas basketball will be must-watch throughout the upcoming campaign.
The Mavericks will host the Spurs on Wednesday, October 22 in the teams' season openers. The game is scheduled for 9:30 PM EST and is set to be played following the Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks contest, which is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST on October 22.
