Will the Mavericks allow fans in the American Airlines Center for games? A decision will be made by late next week.

In a letter emailed to season-ticket holders on Friday night, the Mavericks organization stated that it has yet to decide whether fans will be allowed into home games at the American Airlines Center, but the team did provide a timetable.

“The health and safety of our fans, players and employees remain our top priority,” the letter said. “After careful consideration and in collaboration with the NBA, American Airlines Center, and public health officials, we plan to make a decision by December 12th on whether or not a limited number of fans will be allowed into the arena as we tip-off the season.”

As of Friday, only about one-fourth of NBA teams have announced whether fans will be allowed into their arenas as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout most of the United States. Of that small sample size, so far, most have stated they will begin the season without fans.

Oklahoma City, Charlotte, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Lakers have announced they will not have fans.

One exception is Utah, which announced earlier this week that it will allow a limited number of fans into games. And on Friday afternoon, the San Antonio Spurs announced that they have “targeted” the team’s Jan. 1 game against the Lakers for “welcoming fans” back to the AT&T Center in a “limited capacity, pending the status of public health data and guidelines.”

The first half of NBA teams’ schedules were announced on Friday afternoon. The Mavericks play their first three games on the road: at Phoenix, the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas’ home opener is on Dec. 30 against Charlotte, and on New Years’ Day evening, the Mavericks will host the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.

More immediately, the Mavericks will open their three-game preseason schedule next week with two games at Milwaukee. Dallas’ lone home preseason game is scheduled for Dec. 17, against Minnesota.