The front line is where this one gets interesting. Indiana's new starting center is Ivica Zubac, and Rick Carlisle has said the Zubac-Haliburton chemistry will take time to build. A Dallas frontcourt without Lively or Aldama is a good opponent to build it against. With no line posted yet, the matchup is all there is to go on, and the matchup says Zubac should eat on the glass unless Dallas finds bodies in a hurry.
Indiana has depth problems too. Aaron Nesmith, the starting small forward, practiced again in mid-October after hurting his hamstring in the 2nd preseason game, then got ruled out of the opener anyway. T.J. McConnell missed the entire preseason with a right hamstring strain. Without those 2, the Pacers' bench got outscored 35-18 in the 2nd quarter in New Orleans. If either one is cleared by Friday, Carlisle's rotation looks like a real NBA rotation. If neither is, Haliburton is carrying a thin roster on the 2nd night of what was meant to be a slow ramp-up.
For Dallas, the question is simpler: can Irving and Flagg score enough to make up for what's missing inside? Flagg is in Year 2 and expected to take a leap. Irving raises the ceiling of any offense he plays in. But a team that gives up 38 in a quarter isn't losing on offense. Dusty May's group needs a defensive plan that doesn't fall apart when the other team's center sets up on the block, and Zubac is going to test that from the opening tip at 7:00 PM ET.
Both clubs play on 1 day of rest after Wednesday openers, so the schedule doesn't favor either side. That leaves this: a Pacers team that already found a 4th-quarter gear, hosting a Mavericks team that still has to prove it can play a full first half.