Mavericks (28-17) at Thunder (28-19)
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Place: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
TV: FSSW
Radio: ESPN, 103.3 FM, Univision, 1270 AM (Spanish)
About the Mavs: This will wrap up their three-game road trip that started with a win in Portland before losing a heartbreaker in Utah . . . The Mavericks are 15-6 on the road this season, but one of their losses was New Year’s Eve at Oklahoma City . . . Kristaps Porzingis missed that game, the first of 10 he would be sidelined for with right knee soreness . . . The Mavs will have newcomer Willie Cauley-Stein with them, but it’s unknown if or how much he will play. He was not with the team for Sunday’s practice in OKC, arriving later in the day . . . Their 3-point shooting has been good lately and they now are eighth in the league in long-range percentage at .366. They are second in 3-pointers taken (41.2) and made (15.0) per game . . . In the last nine games, Seth Curry has been very productive. He’s shot 48 percent from 3-point range and averaged 14 points in 25 minutes per game . . . How good has Luka Doncic been this season? In virtually the same minutes per game (33 this year to 32.2 last year), he’s averaging nearly eight more points, nearly three more assists and nearly two more rebounds per game.
About the Thunder: They are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won five in a row and crept to within one game of the Mavericks for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. During their winning streak, only one of the victories has been over a winning team – the slumping Rockets . . . They are coming off a 113-104 win at Minnesota on Saturday, in which Chris Paul had 25 points and 10 assists. Paul has been rock-solid this season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 assists and 5 rebounds per game . . . Second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having a breakout season, averaging 19.7 points and 6 rebounds per game . . . Against the Wolves, OKC started two rookies: Loguentz Dort and Darius Bazley. Dort is playing on a two-way contract and Bazley was the 23rd overall pick last June. Both played 30 minutes against the Wolves . . . The Thunder are one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the league at 80 percent (sixth) and they get there a lot, almost 25 times per game . . . Don’t ever count them out. The Thunder have a very respectable 13-16 record when they are tied or trailing going into the fourth quarter . . . Center Steven Adams has been fighting an ankle sprain. Danilo Gallinari (thumb) and Terrance Ferguson (personal reasons) are day-to-day. Former Mavericks Nerlens Noel (cheek) is out.
Twitter: @ESefko
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