DALLAS -- Unlike last year when they opened the truncated 66-game season at home on Christmas against the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks won't play this season on the year's biggest holiday.
But that may be a blessing, since the Mavs go through a painful stretch in which they'll play nine of their 14 December games on the road. That proves to be the toughest month of the 2012-13 season for Dallas as the NBA released its schedule on Thursday.The Mavs have a very tough challenge when they open the season on Oct. 30 at the Los Angeles Lakers and then follow up with an Oct. 31 contest at the Utah Jazz.Dallas' home opener is slated for Nov. 3 against Michael Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats. That's followed by two more home games -- Nov. 5 against Portland and Nov. 7 vs. Toronto -- before the Mavs hit the road to face Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks on Nov. 9.Kidd, who shunned a three-year, $9 million deal from the Mavs at the last minute to sign with the Knicks, makes his only appearance in the American Airlines Center on Nov. 21.Meanwhile, LeBron James and the world champion Heat play their one game in Dallas on Dec. 20. And Jason Terry, who inked a three-year, $15 million contract with the Boston Celtics, will have his lone game in the AAC on March 22.Also, one game before Terry plays in Dallas, Deron Williams, who also decided not to sign a free-agent contract with the Mavs, and the Brooklyn Nets play their only game at the AAC on March 20.In all, the Mavs will play 16 back-to-backs, with 10 of those exclusively on the road.In addition, the Mavs will be on national TV 24 times. Eight of those games will be on TNT, eight on ESPN, seven on NBA-TV and one on ABC.The Mavs will open training camp in late September and leave for Germany on Oct. 3. The Mavs will play a preseason game against Alba Berlin in Germany on Oct. 6 and will face FC Barcelona Regal in Spain on Oct. 9.Dwain Price, 817-390-7760Twitter: @DwainPriceHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
