Cowboys Conflict No More - NBA Shifts Mavericks Game Sunday

Fans of both the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks won't be forced to choose who to watch Sunday.

When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and their NBA counterparts, it turns out that this town is indeed big enough for both.

Per The Dallas Morning News, the NBA is set to shift the start time of the Dallas Mavericks' Sunday game against the Los Angeles Clippers to avoid conflict with the Cowboys' NFC Divisional playoff showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (5:30 p.m. CT, Fox). The report said Mavs-Clippers will now get underway at 1:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center instead of 6:30 p.m.

Ironically enough, both teams face California competition in pursuit of a championship. The Cowboys (13-5) resume their long-running playoff series with the 49ers, while the Mavericks (24-22) will try to build distance between themselves and the Western Conference's Play-In Tournament. 

Adding further irony to the situation is the fact that the Mavericks are two games up on the seventh-place Golden State Warriors, the 49ers' Bay Area brethren, to avoid the Play-In. Sunday's game is part of a three-game homestand at American Airlines Center, which begins on Friday against the Miami Heat (6:30 p.m. CT, Bally Sports Southwest).

The Cowboys and Mavericks boast one of the stronger NFL-NBA synergies in recent memory. The Mavericks notably offered metroplex fans a chance to say goodbye to Tony Romo after the quarterback's retirement in 2017 and the current group has kept up to date with the Cowboys. Members of the Cowboys caused a bit of a stir when they attended a December win over Phoenix with free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in tow. 

Luka Dončić, the Mavericks' Slovenian-born superstar, offered his support for his starred counterparts shortly before their playoff run began on Monday with a Wild Card victory over Tampa Bay.

“I like the Cowboys. They have great players," Dončić told the Morning News, anticipating a Super Bowl run. "They have a great team. I’ve liked them since the beginning, since I learned about the sport.”

If the Cowboys handle business against San Francisco, no conflict for the NFC title game exists on the Mavericks' schedule on Jan. 29. Their American Airlines Center co-tenants, the NHL's Dallas Stars (who have a 7 p.m. CT against Arizona on Saturday), will be in the midst of their All-Star break at that time as well. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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