Southwest Division contenders open their 2025-26 NBA seasons when the San Antonio Spurs battle the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. It's also a matchup of two of the league's biggest young names and recent No. 1 overall picks as Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs and Cooper Flagg debuts for the Mavs. Dallas lost in the play-in game last year after making the NBA Finals in 2023-24, while San Antonio has not made the postseason since 2018-19. The Spurs (34-48), who placed fourth in the division a year ago, were 13-27 on the road last season. The Mavericks (39-43), who were third in the Southwest Division, were 22-18 on their home court. De'Aaron Fox (hamstring) is out for San Antonio, while Kyrie Irving (knee) is out for Dallas.

Tipoff from American Airlines Center in Dallas is set f

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