Mavs' Matthews, Williams to make preseason debuts Friday

Wesley Matthews maintained all along that he was going to be ready by opening night, and the Dallas Mavericks shooting guard appears to have been true to his word, as he'll make his preseason debut Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.

Matthews, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury last March, signed a four-year, $57-million contract with the Mavericks in the summer, and is set to join the team in a game setting just in time for Dallas' preseason finale.

Matthews won't be the only Mavericks newcomer making his preseason debut on Friday night, as Deron Williams will join the team's lineup after missing the first six games of the exhibition schedule with a strained right calf.

The Mavs will open their regular-season schedule Oct. 28 against the Phoenix Suns.