NBA makes Mavericks, Knicks schedule announcement for Cooper Flagg's MSG debut

The other matchups on MLK will be the Milwaukee Bucks against the Atlanta Hawks (who almost always play on MLK) to start the day, move into the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a battle of the two top seeds from last year, and the night ends with the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons.

Dallas played on MLK Day last year, falling to the Charlotte Hornets on the road, 110-105. They had the early tip for that game, and they came out looking like it. Kyrie Irving had 33 points and Daniel Gafford had a 31-point, 15-rebound double-double, but the rest of the team combined to shoot 15/49 in that game.

LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each scored 23 points, while Nick Smith Jr. added 19. They also got 10 points off the bench from Cody Martin and Moussa Diabate. The Mavs will hope for a better effort against the Knicks.

Any time the Mavericks meet the Knicks, Jalen Brunson going against his former team will be the biggest topic of discussion. For once, the Mavs don't have any former Knicks on the roster, but Naji Marshall did score a career-high 38 points in MSG last year.

Thus will also be Cooper Flagg's first game as a professional in MSG, so it'll be fascinating to see if he's ready for that moment. Kyrie Irving could also be back from ACL surgery by that game if he sticks to his timeline of January or February.

Some Big Matchups Already Announced for the Dallas Mavericks

The MLK matchup is one of three big games that have already been announced for the Dallas Mavericks this season. They're opening the season in a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, just the second time in nearly the last 60 years that the top two picks of a draft will start their careers playing against each other, with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper.

They'll also play on Christmas for the sixth year in a row, traveling to play the Golden State Warriors as Klay Thompson returns to face his former team.