The Brooklyn Nets vs Mavericks Sunday matchup at American Airlines Center brings together two teams heading in different directions through the first month of the 2026-27 season. Dallas enters at 5-4 and winners of its last game, while Brooklyn sits at 2-6 but has won two of its last three. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with the Mavericks working through a short-handed frontcourt and the Nets still missing a key piece of their backcourt rotation.
Nets Vs Mavericks Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 8
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- TV/Streaming: DAZN (YES), KFAA-TV, MavsTV
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
How Have Both Teams Looked Lately?
Dallas has won three of its last five games, including a 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, a day before hosting Brooklyn. The Mavericks also beat Oklahoma City 120-96 and Houston 116-111 in that stretch, with losses to Sacramento and San Antonio sandwiched in between. Dallas sits second in the Southwest Division at 5-4, two games behind co-leaders Houston and San Antonio.
Brooklyn has been inconsistent, dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Boston 125-124 before losing to Detroit and New York. The Nets answered with wins over Indiana and Charlotte, the latter a 114-104 result on Nov. 5. Brooklyn is last in the Atlantic Division at 2-6, five games behind division-leading Philadelphia, though the Nets carry a one-game winning streak into Dallas.
Who Is Out And Who Steps Up?
Dallas is without three frontcourt players. Center Dereck Lively II is out following foot surgery, forward Sergio de Larrea is out with a right knee strain and forward Tarik Biberovic is out with right heel inflammation. All three carry a projected return date of Nov. 12, meaning Dallas will again lean on its remaining frontcourt depth against Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is also thin inside and in the backcourt. Guard Egor Demin is out with a right leg bruise and is not expected back until Nov. 11. Center Day’Ron Sharpe is listed day-to-day with an undisclosed issue.
With Lively sidelined for Dallas, P.J. Washington, who leads the Mavericks with 7.7 rebounds per game, is projected to see a heavier workload in the paint.
What Do The Expected Starters Look Like?
Cooper Flagg leads Dallas in both scoring and playmaking, averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, and is projected to anchor the Mavericks’ starting lineup alongside Washington. For Brooklyn, Michael Porter Jr. leads the team at 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, with Julius Randle contributing 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and a team-high 4.8 assists per game. Both are projected to start for a Nets team still searching for lineup stability amid its injury situation.
Key Matchup: Flagg And Washington Against A Thin Nets Front Line
With Lively, de Larrea and Biberovic all out for Dallas, the Mavericks’ frontcourt production falls heavily on Washington and whoever starts alongside Flagg. Washington’s 7.7 rebounds per game lead the team, and Dallas as a whole out-rebounds opponents on the offensive glass by a wide margin, averaging 12.9 offensive boards compared to Brooklyn’s 10.5. Brooklyn does hold a narrow edge on the defensive glass at 32.4 rebounds per game to Dallas’ 31.7, which could matter if the Nets hope to limit Dallas to one shot per possession. How Brooklyn’s bigs handle that gap, without Sharpe at full strength, will factor heavily into how competitive the game stays inside.
What To Watch
Brooklyn has alternated losses and wins over its last five games, a pattern that has kept the Nets rooted at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings. A win over a Dallas team with a short-handed frontcourt would mark consecutive victories for the first time since early in the season. For Dallas, the Mavericks are trying to build consistency while key rotation pieces remain out through at least Nov. 12, and a win Sunday would move Dallas to 6-4 as it continues chasing the Southwest Division’s top two teams, Houston and San Antonio.
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