Dallas falls into an interesting West Group A for the fourth iteration of the NBA's mid-season tournament.
The Dallas Mavericks have been left off many high-profile TV slots in the initial rollout of the 2026-27 schedule, but the Emirates NBA Cup often lends itself to opportunities for teams to play on the big stage.
For Cooper Flagg and the Mavs, the fourth year of the mid-season tournament lands them in West Group A alongside the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns.
Teams in this pool combined for a 199-211 record (.485 win percentage). It's an interesting group with a wide spread between competition levels from last season.
The Jazz were the worst team in the conference at 22-62. Dallas wasn't too far ahead at 26-56. Phoenix snuck into the playoffs with a 45-37 mark behind the West's No. 3 seed Nuggets (54-28) and No. 5 seed Rockets (52-30).
Here is the Mavs' group play schedule:
Oct. 30 | 7 p.m. CT - vs. Houston Rockets
Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. - vs. Utah Jazz
Nov. 24 | 9 p.m. - at Denver Nuggets
Nov. 27 | 8 p.m. - at Phoenix Suns
Dallas is included in NBC's double-header on Nov. 24 against the Nuggets.
After eight teams advance into the single-elimination knockout rounds, the quarterfinals will take place from Dec. 4 to 5. The semifinals will be on Dec. 8 or 9 before the championship is set for Dec. 11 at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Mavs have only made it out of the knockout rounds once in the tournament's young existence. In the 2024-25 season, Dallas made it out of group play before losing to the top-seeded and eventual runner-up Oklahoma City Thunder in the first elimination round.
In total, the Mavericks are 6-7 all-time in NBA Cup play.
As the Mavs get acquainted with new head coach Dusty May and a cast of newcomers next to Kyrie Irving and Flagg, there are also some new faces to keep an eye on in this group.
Utah will be led in the backcourt by No. 2 overall rookie Darryn Peterson, who joins last season's No. 5 pick Ace Bailey and emerging playmaker Keyonte George for the Jazz's young core.
Denver presents a challenge with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and newly-crowned All-Star Jamal Murray. Jokic's interior dominance is always tough to guard, but the Mavs have prioritized size and defensive athleticism in this offseason's movement.
Houston features future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant in his 19th year in the league. He's expected to be joined by starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The Rockets' well-rounded core also includes Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.
Lastly, the Suns added athletic forward Miles Bridges to its lineup of Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
