DALLAS, TEXAS — Wednesday night was the first preseason game of the 2022-2023 Dallas Mavericks season. The Dallas Mavericks hit the road a little short handed on their way to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas was able to take the win with a 98-96 victory.
The Mavs matchup with the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center tonight should be very exciting, considering that Luka Doncic is expected to make his preseason debut. Doncic was unable to attend the first preseason game as he spent a very long and exhausting summer at workouts with the Slovenian national team. Doncic was given a light workload to start training camp, easing his way into the Mavs season.
What to look for in tonight’s match up? Well for the Mavs, Jaden Hardy is looking like a key player after what he pulled off in his Dallas debut. The rookie led the Mavs with 21 points on 8-16 shooting from the field and 4-9 from deep. He dominated the fourth quarter by scoring 16 of Dallas’s 22 points that led to the 98-96 win.
Now, as far as what we might see against the Orlando Magic is Paolo Banchero, who was selected by Orlando as the No.1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but it is yet to be seen if Banchero will play or not, given that the Magic are coming off back-to-back games. If he does play the Banchero vs. Hardy matchup will be something to keep your eyes on.
The Mavericks are favored to win over the Magic tonight, and we will see you at the American Airlines Center at 7:30pm C/T.
