The Mavs are overrated and dysfunctional. I will continue to play against them until shown otherwise. Plus, the energy from Victor should make this a special night. Upset city!

We need to have some fun with Victor Wembanyama in his first game. The phenom averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 rebounds over just 21 minutes per game during the preseason. The Mavericks are going to start a rookie of their own in Dereck Lively II at center, with underwhelming options in Dwight Powell, Richaun Holmes and Maxi Kleber behind him. Wembanyama has the potential to feast right out of the gate.

Somewhat lost in the Victor Wembanyama hype is that Jeremy Sochan is now the starting point guard for the Spurs. When given added opportunities last season, he thrived. Over 17 games in which he logged at least 30 minutes, he averaged 16.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. With the expectation that he at least approaches that minutes threshold in this game, I like him to hit the over.

This seems low, but I have no idea how long Gregg Popovich will allow Wemby to play in his debut -- we know Pop can get cranky at any time and pull his rookie. But Dallas ranked last in the NBA last year in rebounding.