Less than a week after a heated game between the teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks will square off again.
The Thunder will host the Mavericks on Thursday night, six days after Dallas handed visiting Oklahoma City a 106-98 defeat.
Five technical fouls and a flagrant foul were called in that game, as the Mavericks blew a 20-point halftime lead before taking control in the closing minutes to knock off the Thunder.
Dallas eliminated Oklahoma City in six games in the second round of the playoffs last season and is the only team to beat the Thunder twice this season. The Thunder, with the best record in the Western Conference, have only seven losses.
After Friday’s game, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving said the rivalry with the Thunder was “personal” and called the heated nature of the game “the start of a healthy rivalry.”
“An all-out blitz,” Irving said of what he expected of Thursday’s matchup. “All-out warfare. Any time we go against OKC, playing against a top MVP candidate like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and his team, it’s going to be a great, competitive challenge.”
Gilgeous-Alexander missed Friday’s loss to the Mavericks with a wrist injury but has 81 points over the two games since.
That includes his career-high 54-point night in Wednesday’s 123-114 home win over Utah that gave the Thunder their 21st win in the past 24 games.
But while Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring has been eye-popping, his defense is raising eyebrows as well.
“He impacts the game in so many ways ’cause he can score 50 … but he is active defensively,” Oklahoma City’s Alex Caruso, a two-time NBA all-defensive team honoree, said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “Me as a defensive guy, I notice that. He’s a true competitor when it comes to that side of the ball.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has multiple steals in each of his past eight games and is averaging a career-best 2.1 steals per contest.
“MVP season,” Caruso said. “I watch a lot of basketball, (and) he’s playing like the best player in the world.”
The Mavericks have dropped back-to-back games since beating the Thunder, including a 115-114 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
The Mavericks again will be without Luka Doncic, who hasn’t played since Christmas with a left calf strain. Dallas also will be without center Dereck Lively, while Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (illness), Jaden Hardy (ankle sprain) and Dwight Powell (hip strain) missed Wednesday’s game.
Irving has at least 25 points in each of his past tree games since returning after missing six of the previous seven games due to injury.
After the game on Wednesday, Irving said his status for the game against the Thunder was “TBD.”
“It’s going well,” Irving said of managing the back injury that kept him out. “My back feels great. God willing, that stays consistent.”
Though Dallas, which fell to Boston in the NBA Finals last season, is outside the top six in the Western Conference, Irving said the Mavericks can again contend for a title if they can get back healthy.
“We were screaming ‘championship, championship’ about two months ago,” Irving said. “That’s still in the back of our mind. But we would love to go at it with a healthy group. If we don’t get a chance to do that for the next month or next few weeks, we just have to adjust.”
–Field Level Media
