Wizards at Mavericks
The Western Conference is loaded with superstar duos but one that seems to be flying under the radar on the eve of the regular season is the pairing of Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. The two will play together in a game that counts for the first time when the Mavericks host the Washington Wizards in the season opener on Wednesday.
Porzingis, 24, was acquired from the New York Knicks via trade last season while rehabbing from knee surgery and watched Doncic, 20, win Rookie of the Year but also saw the team miss out on the playoffs, and improving every day is the focus. "We have to keep building, we have to get better, we have to get one percent better every day, every practice," Porzingis told Mavs.com. "In practice and every game, we've got to go hard, we've got to keep building a culture inside the team and we've got to keep building an identity that we're going to have throughout this year and going forward." The Wizards' identity is built around All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal, and he signaled his intention to continue building with the team by signing a two-year, $72 million extension last week. "Both the Wizards organization and the city of Washington have been committed to supporting me and my family since the day I was drafted and I feel blessed to be able to show my commitment back to them," Beal told reporters. "I'm proud to continue leading this team both on and off the court and look forward to being part of building something special."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (2018-19: 32-50): Beal and company will once again be without star point guard John Wall, who is without a timetable for a return following an Achilles injury suffered last season, and several other players are waiting to step up. Washington made small forward Rui Hachimura its first-round pick in June and added bench scoring in the form of point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is questionable for the opener with a thumb injury. "The last couple of days he's been catching the ball with no problems," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters of Thomas after practice on Sunday. "He's played in some practice the last (week), but today he went the entirety. We're going to make that decision on what’s best for him long term. I'd love to have him for the first game, but we'll see. Probably not, but we'll see."
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (2018-19: 33-49): Dallas missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons - and failed to make it out of the first round in any of the last eight campaigns - and building a team that can compete long term is the focus. "Continuity makes the season-to-season transition easier and smoother," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "We've had a lot of teams over the last seven or eight years that have been with a bunch of new guys, so we've been down this road before. It's exciting in a certain way, but there are a lot of adjustments to make as you go. ... We've got a good group, they've had a good camp, and they are doing a lot of things together on the court and off the court, which is great." Dallas made sure to keep some veterans around to help the young players and has point guard J.J. Barea, 35, back again following Achilles surgery.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks SG Seth Curry (knee contusion) is probable for the season opener.
2. Wizards SG C.J. Miles (stress fracture) is limited in practice and is day-to-day.
3. Washington snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with a 132-123 home win in the most recent meeting on March 6.