NBA Cup Schedule: Will Mavs Benefit From Early 'Measuring Stick' Test?

Last December, San Antonio was a young team nobody took seriously in a conference full of established contenders. Then the Spurs made a run to the NBA Cup final, played genuine elimination games for the first time with Victor Wembanyama and lost to the Knicks in Las Vegas.

Six months later, they were in the NBA Finals against those same Knicks.

Indiana followed a similar path a few years earlier, reaching the inaugural NBA Cup final in 2023 before advancing to the Eastern Conference finals later that season. Neither team won the tournament. Both found out what they were in a way the regular season does not offer in November.

READ MORE: Could Mavs Rookie Force His Way Into Dusty May's Rotation?

That is what the NBA Cup can give the Mavericks this year - a measuring stick of sorts - and group play opens Oct. 30 when Houston visits American Airlines Center.

The oddsmakers are not expecting much. DraftKings has Dallas at +800 to win West Group A, the longest price among the five teams, with the Mavericks listed at +500 to reach the knockout rounds and +12000 to win the tournament outright. Those numbers lean on last season, when Dallas entered the draw as the 12th seed in the West.

The group it drew is more manageable than the pricing suggests.

West Group A is arguably the weakest of the three in terms of star power, with Oklahoma City and Minnesota in Group B and San Antonio, the Lakers and Golden State in Group C. Denver remains dangerous, and Houston still has Kevin Durant, but Phoenix and Utah both carry real questions.

The schedule helps, too. Dallas hosts the Rockets and Jazz while traveling to Denver and Phoenix.

The Houston matchup is the most encouraging of the four. The Mavericks have won their last three home games against their in-state rival and are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings in Dallas. Utah is the lowest seed in the group and the team Dallas should expect to handle.

Denver is the biggest obstacle, though not an insurmountable one. The teams split their season series last year, including a Mavericks win in Denver. Phoenix is the only team in the group Dallas failed to beat at all last season, which makes that road trip the hardest game on the slate.

The timing is unusual, though.

Group play opens only nine days into the season, which means Dallas will be playing games with stakes attached before this roster has had much time together. Kyrie Irving will have a handful of appearances under his belt, Cooper Flagg will be adjusting to Year 2 and Dusty May will still be figuring out his rotations.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavs Promising Center Becomes Guaranteed; 'The Job Isn't Done!'

Whatever these four games reveal will come early and without much context.

The format also changed this year. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by whichever team holds the higher seed, so a deep run would mean extra home games in December rather than a trip to Las Vegas. Only the final is played at a neutral site, moving to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Dallas finished fourth in its group last season. Reaching the knockout rounds this time realistically means winning three of these four games, which puts the two home dates at a premium and requires stealing one or both on the road.