A huge showdown in the Southwest Division to open the season with the Mavericks hosting the Spurs. Both teams are looking to make a statement in 2025-26, with Dallas rolling out number one pick Cooper Flagg. As for the Spurs, Wemby is back and bigger than ever!
San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
We’ve seen a lot of small-ball in recent times, but monster-ball is en vogue. Udoka rolled out the biggest starting line-up in NBA history on opening night, and the Mavericks appear keen to follow suit. JKidd experimented with Cooper Flagg at point, with the front-court of Washington, AD and Lively, and I think we’ll see a fair bit of it when the Mavs host Wemby and the Spurs. Wembanyama is projected to take the leap into MVP calculations, while Pick 2 Derek Harper looks to be the third Rookie of the Year in a row for San Antonio.
Leg 1: Cooper Flagg 15+ Points
Believe the hype. Flagg showed plenty for the Mavericks in his four preseason games, hitting double figure points in all four games despite only averaging slightly less than 22 minutes per game.
His percentages were encouraging along with his ability to get to the stripe, so we could see the number one pick pour 20+ on the Spurs on debut.
Leg 2: Dereck Lively 16+ PR
With Daniel Gafford in doubt, this provides an enormous opportunity for Lively starting at centre.
It was an injury-interrupted season for Lively who was looking to breakout, but from the 18 games he played 23 minutes or more in 2024-25 he averaged a PR of 20.6, hitting 16+ in 14 of those games including his last seven.
Leg 3: Devin Vassell Under 3.5 Assists
Not sure we’re going to get big assist numbers from Devin Vassell as a wing for the Spurs. Over the last 19 games of last season, Vassell averaged 2.8 assists and only hit 4+ assists in three of those games.
This correlated with the inclusion of De’Aaron Fox and rise of Stephon Castle, and although Fox is out, rookie Dylan Harper will no doubt consume some of that usage, while we should see a big increase in the usage of Wemby.
Same Game Multi
Flagg 15+ Points / Lively 16+ PR / Vassell Under 3.5 Assists = $4.30
Value Leg: Derrick Lively Double Double
It was opening night against the Spurs last season where Lively started at centre for Dallas and played 27 minutes, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
He didn’t play 27+ minutes often last season, but he averaged 10.4 rebounds from the 14 games he did - including six double-doubles.
Flagg 15+ Points / Lively Double Double / Vassell Under 3.5 Assists = $9.00
