Coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that Matthews (Achilles) could play in the Mavericks' final preseason contest Friday against the Bulls, Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that Matthews (Achilles) could play in the Mavericks' final preseason contest Friday against the Bulls, Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Analysis:

The fact that Carlisle is even entertaining the idea of playing Matthews is remarkable, considering he tore his Achilles' tendon in early March. Despite that severe injury, Matthews has maintained all along that he'd be ready for the regular-season opener, and that's starting to look like an increasingly real possibility. He's been taking part in contact drills at practice for over a week, and seems like he could be ready to test himself in a game setting before long. However, expect the Mavericks to hold Matthews to some sort of minutes restriction when he does ultimately take the court, which could allow either or both of John Jenkins and Justin Anderson to hold down spots in Carlisle's rotation in the early going.