Luka Doncic has been a man on a mission this offseason as he completely transformed his body and conditioning. Now starting a new chapter with the Los Angeles Lakers, he is looking to disprove all the negative narratives surrounding his exit from the Dallas Mavericks.
Ever since this shocking blockbuster trade took place, the anticipating of matchups between the Lakers and Mavericks has grown immensely. With the release of the regular season schedule just around the corner, the biggest question is when the schedule makers would choose to cash in on this matchup next season.
Some speculated either Opening Night or Christmas Day, however, neither of those came to fruition as the Lakers are rumored to take on the Golden State Warriors to kick off their season and the Houston Rockets on Christmas. It appears that there will be a bit of a wait for Doncic to take on his former team next season as it is slated to take place at the end of November during the Emirates NBA Cup, via NBA insider Marc Stein:
Next season’s first Mavericks/Lakers marquee meeting in the regular season — if the provisional schedule holds — would be at the end of November in the NBA Cup, league sources tell @TheSteinLine and @DLLS_Sports.
The NBA typically announces the full schedule in mid-August. https://t.co/SckKkJm141
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2025
Admittedly, having the Lakers host or travel to Dallas for Opening Night or Christmas would have created more of a national audience. But, regardless of where the matchup falls, there will be plenty of eyes watching and that is what makes this situation unique.
Perhaps this move brings more intensity to the NBA Cup, as it is still a relatively new addition to the league. It is worth mentioning that the Mavericks and Lakers are in the same group for the NBA Cup next season, which is why they will be playing each other in Los Angeles at the end of November.
That will mark Anthony Davis’ first game back in Los Angeles if he is healthy as he was ruled out when the Mavericks played at Crypto.com Arena last season. It remains to be seen when Doncic will be returning to Dallas, where he dropped 45 points in his first game as a visitor in that arena last season.
LeBron James & Lakers travel to play Cavaliers on Jan. 28
Another anticipated matchup each season is LeBron James traveling back to his home state of Ohio to take on his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. That date has been revealed as the Lakers are expected to make the trip on Jan. 28 and it may be James’ last time there in a Lakers jersey.
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