DALLAS - The Mavericks kick off their season Oct. 21 on the road against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. Between a returning superstar, a rising sophomore cornerstone and a roster full of new faces with history around the league, there are plenty of nights worth planning around this year. Here are 10 games to look out for this season.

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The home opener brings the Western Conference champions to town and it doubles as the first Cooper Flagg vs. Victor Wembanyama meeting of the season. That matchup alone is worth the price of admission, as the two most recent transformative No. 1 picks continue a rivalry that produced several electric duels a year ago.

But the real moment comes before tipoff. When Kyrie Irving's name is called during starting lineups for the first time since March 2025, after a torn ACL cost him an entire season, American Airlines Center is going to shake. There might not be a louder ovation all year.

Flagg's homecoming game is always one to circle. The Maine native grew up a short drive from Boston and playing in front of the region that raised him has become a yearly event for New England basketball fans.

It's also Irving's first trip back to TD Garden since the injury, a building where his reception is never subtle given his complicated history there. Add in a new-look Celtics roster in the wake of the Jaylen Brown trade and this becomes a genuine early-season measuring stick on the road.

Sean Sweeney meets his former team for the first time as a head coach. Sweeney spent years on the Mavericks' staff as one of the most respected defensive minds in the league and plenty of Dallas fans wanted him to replace Jason Kidd before the front office ultimately landed on Dusty May.

Watching him coach against the organization he helped build, with the fan base that lobbied for him watching closely, adds another layer to what otherwise would be a routine December game.

Zaccharie Risacher is one of the most intriguing players on this roster, largely because of the circumstances that brought him to Dallas. The former No. 1 overall pick was acquired after his development stalled in Atlanta and the Mavericks are betting a change of scenery unlocks what made him the top selection in 2024.

If he has established himself as a real piece by the time this trip rolls around, his return to face the team that gave up on him becomes appointment viewing.

Duke fans are going to have a field day with this one. Cooper Flagg and Cam Boozer, the last two College Players of the Year, meet on an NBA floor for the first time since their high school days, renewing a comparison that has followed both since their prep careers.

With Kyrie Irving and Derek Lively joining Flagg and Boozer, there could be four Blue Devils on the court at once. Santi Aldama also returns to Memphis, where he became a fan favorite and put up a career year before landing in Dallas, giving the night a second reunion storyline.

Kon Knueppel and Flagg, former Duke teammates and roommates, renew a rivalry that produced the best Rookie of the Year race in years. Both meetings last season were among the most intense games Dallas played, including an all-time duel in January when Flagg poured in 49 points and Knueppel answered with 34 and the game-winning free throws.

Two young stars who know each other's games inside and out, both still with plenty to prove. Not much else needs to be said.

Dallas fans get to see one of the most hyped teams assembled since Kevin Durant joined the Warriors. LeBron James signed with Philadelphia this offseason to form a superteam alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid and their trip to Dallas to face Flagg and Irving is the kind of matchup that sells out a building months in advance.

It's also a rare chance to see James, in the twilight of his career, share the floor with the player many believe represents the league's next era.

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It is always an emotional night when Luka Doncic returns to Dallas and the wounds from that trade haven't fully healed for a fan base that watched its franchise player get shipped west.

This one carries extra weight because it is Irving's first time facing his former backcourt partner since the two met in Los Angeles on Feb. 25, 2025, shortly after the deal. The revamped Lakers roster, now under new ownership, makes them one of the more fascinating teams in the West as well.

Jalen Brunson always gets showered with love when he returns to the team that drafted him, but this is his first trip back as an NBA champion after leading New York to a title. He also tends to play like it at the American Airlines Center, averaging 31.6 points in three career road games. 

This one is really about Anthony Davis. The centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade returns to Dallas for the first time since being dealt to Washington, a homecoming loaded with all the complicated feelings that come with how his Mavericks tenure began and ended.

Fans will have plenty to process watching him in another uniform. The undercard is compelling, too, with AJ Dybantsa and Flagg sharing a floor in a No. 1 pick matchup that could define the next decade.

With Risacher also on the roster, it would mark the first time in NBA history that the No. 1 overall picks from three consecutive drafts all played in the same game.