The Dallas Mavericks will try to get their first win of the season Friday night against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis after opening with a loss to the Houston Rockets. The game tips at 6 p.m. CDT, and it comes with Tyrese Haliburton set for his first non-exhibition game back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since June 19, 2025.
That is the part that makes this one matter now: Dallas is already trying to avoid an 0-2 start, and the matchup comes against a Pacers team that began the season with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pacers also arrived with a sharper first impression on the break, outscoring New Orleans 27-10 in fastbreak points, while Dallas was beaten 29-17 in fastbreak points by Houston two nights earlier.
For the Mavericks, the opener was defined by slippage in the places that tend to decide close games. They turned it over 21 times, and Houston turned those mistakes into 32 points. Dallas also shot 11-of-37 from behind the arc and 17-of-26 from the free throw line, numbers that left little margin for error even before the schedule got harder.
That schedule is a real part of the early picture. Dallas has the second-strongest slate in the first month based on last season’s winning percentages, which means every slow start will be measured against a difficult run of opponents rather than a soft landing. Dusty May, in his first season as the Mavericks’ head coach, has already seen how quickly one rough night can put pressure on rotation choices and late-game decisions.
He also used a long look at his options in the opener, going to 11 players in the first quarter against Houston. That kind of early rotation is usually a sign that a coach is still sorting out who fits where, and it leaves Dallas with a simple question heading into Friday night: can it clean up the turnovers and the shooting enough to match a Pacers team that has already shown pace, efficiency and a home-court boost with Haliburton back in the building?
The answer will start arriving at tipoff, but the larger test is already clear. Dallas does not need a perfect night in Indianapolis. It needs a steadier one, because the first month is unforgiving and the margin for another bad opener is already gone.
