OKLAHOMA CITY – And so, we meet again.
Seems like the Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder have played each other on a weekly basis for the past couple of seasons. That’s what happens when you see a team in the playoffs after playing them three or four times in the regular season.
This will be the second meeting this season when the teams get together in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Cup Nights tournament. The winner heads to Las Vegas for the semifinals of the Cup.
The loser will have another game added to their schedule, probably against either Golden State or Houston, whoever loses in the other Western Conference quarterfinal game.
But the point is that these two teams have no secrets between each other.
“We keep seeing them, so it’s going to bring (out) that competition,” said Dereck Lively II. “We have to be at our best. They’re a team that goes at us. Whoever makes the least mistakes is going to be the winner.”
The Thunder have fashioned themselves as sort of a Mavericks starter kit. They have a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a lot of depth. They already have survived (so far) the loss of center Chet Holmgren, who has been lost to a hip injury and is expected to be out until February.
Yet, they have the best record in the West at 18-5. They are building strongly on their second-round playoff exit last spring at the hands of the Mavericks, who won the series four games to two.
And the Thunder are much different than the team the Mavericks beat 121-119 on Nov. 17 in OKC. That Thunder team was severely shorthanded, particularly at center. But now Isaiah Hartenstein has returned, as has swingman Alex Caruso, one of the best defenders on the team with the best defensive rating in the NBA.
Plus, the Thunder force more turnovers than anybody else and commit fewer than anybody else.
“They’ll be healthy when you talk about Hartenstein and also AC back,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They have a big (guy) that will be in the paint, rebounding and blocking shots. We’ll see how they look.
“They do a great job with small ball, active hands, passing lanes and when you drive it, they’re swiping. We got to protect the ball. Right now, we’re turning the ball over a little bit too much. For us to find a way to win, we got to protect the ball, especially against them.”
Here’s what else to look for when the Mavericks and Thunder hook up:
MAVERICKS (16-8) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (18-5)
WHEN: 8:30 p.m., Tuesday.
WHERE: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream, TNT
RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @ESefko
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