With the 2020-21 regular season scheduled to start in less than a month, the Dallas Mavericks announced on Friday their slate of preseason games as they hope to build on last year’s successful season.
The Mavs also officially announced last week’s three-team trade that involved the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons.
The Mavs will play three preseason games, with two of them on the road against reigning two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the highly-regarded Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavs face the Bucks in Milwaukee on Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, with both games tipping off at 7 p.m.
After that, the Mavs will host their only home preseason game on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves feature Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in the Nov. 18 NBA Draft.
The regular season is scheduled to start on Dec. 22. And the Mavs are anxious to get started after finishing last season with a 43-32 record and advancing to the playoffs — they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the first round — for the first time since 2016.
As far as the trade is concerned, the Mavs acquired forward James Johnson from the Thunder in a transaction that saw them send forward Justin Jackson to OKC and guard Delon Wright to Detroit. The Pistons also shipped forward Trevor Ariza to the Thunder, who, in addition, will receive a 2023 second-round pick from the Mavs or Miami, and a 2026 second-round selection from Dallas.
The 33-year old Johnson (6-7, 240) has played for six teams during his 11-year career, and finished last season with the Timberwolves. While playing an average of 20.6 minutes in 634 career games, Johnson is averaging eight points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists and shooting 47.7 percent from the field.
Johnson’s best season was 2016-17 for Miami when he averaged a career-high 12.8 points, a then career-high 4.9 rebounds, and shot 47.9 percent from the floor in 27.4 minutes while playing a career-high 76 games.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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