OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (14-28) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (24-19)
Time: 7:30 p.m, Monday.
Place: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
TV: Bally Sports Southwest.
Radio: The Eagle 97.1 FM; Univision Zona MX 99.1 FM (Spanish)
About the Thunder: They have lost six of their last seven, but the one win was a doozy. They smashed the Nets in Brooklyn 130-109 on Thursday in a game when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sat out for the Nets. What the Thunder got in that game was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Over their last three games, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 28.7 points and 8 assists while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. For the season, the 6-6 guard is averaging 22.4 points . . . In their most recent game, the Thunder followed up the big win with a 107-102 loss at home to Cleveland . . . Their rebuilding process is based on having a slew of future draft picks. And they already have cashed in on some of their assets. They drafted Australian Josh Giddey with the sixth overall pick last summer and he’s been a keeper, averaging 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Giddey had a huge triple-double on June 2 in the Mavericks’ win at Oklahoma City: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists . . . Despite the strong play of Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey, the Thunder are last in the NBA in scoring at 100.8 points per game and are next-to-last in total offensive rating . . . They actually are solid defensively, holding opponents to 44.5 percent shooting . . . They are without former TCU standout Kenrich Williams, who is in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
About the Mavericks: They are humming along having won eight of their last nine games . . . During that span, they are averaging 106.3 points per game while allowing only 93.7 points per game – which includes holding opponents to 29.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc . . . This is the third of four meetings against the Thunder this season and the Mavericks already are 2-0, having won both meetings in Oklahoma City by an average of 14 points . . . They should be knocking on some wood, but they are healthy for the first time since early in the season. Kristaps Porzingis returned from health and safety protocols with 19 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes on Saturday against Orlando. Coach Jason Kidd, also back from protocols, was able to start his pregame news conference with the words: no medical updates . . . The Mavericks continue to hang their hat on the defensive end of the floor. They have risen to fourth in the league in overall defensive rating. They also are second in defensive rebounding percentage and have been particularly good in the last five when opponents are averaging just 10 second-chance points per game . . . They have won their last three home games against the Thunder. The last time OKC won at AAC was before the pandemic began.
Twitter: @ESefko
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