Mavs-Thunder preview: Stakes lower, but playoff rematch is enticing

OKLAHOMA CITY – When teams meet in a playoff series, the first rematch the following season offers a lot of intrigue, even if the stakes are a lot lower.

The Mavericks, who bounced the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the second round of the playoffs last spring, will hook up with them again on Sunday evening for a meeting that might not bear much resemblance to what we saw in May.

Injuries have ravaged OKC early in the season, although that hasn’t stopped them from rolling to an 11-2 record. They won’t have Chet Holmgren, the slender center who is out at least a couple months with a hip injury.

Ditto for newcomer Alex Caruso, who will miss Sunday’s game with a less-severe hip injury.

But the Thunder still have rolled so far this season. They won their first seven games and now are riding a three-game streak going into Sunday’s game.

So Sunday should be entertaining as two of the best teams in the league square off.

One interesting aspect is that, just as the Mavericks did, the Thunder addressed one of their glaring needs in the offseason with the addition of Caruso.

Maverick fans know that the addition of Klay Thompson was management’s move to give the team a drop-dead shooter to make it even tougher on opponents to guard Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

The Thunder? They fixed their one weak link on the defensive side of the ball. Josh Giddey was a gifted, versatile offensive player. But he was not a defender. And OKC has built a team with a strong defensive tilt.

In comes Caruso, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, acquired from Chicago for Giddey.

The Thunder added Caruso to a group that already included willing defenders like Lu Dort and Jalen Williams.

The result has been exactly what the Thunder wanted. They are No. 1 in the NBA in points allowed at 102.2 per game. They defend the perimeter well as opponents make just 33.3 percent of their three-pointers (second lowest in the league).

And the Thunder have held their last two opponents, New Orleans and Phoenix, to 88 and 83 points, respectively.

If defense wins championships, the Thunder have, in theory, placed themselves in a good spot this season.

Here’s a few other things to watch for tonight when the Mavericks visit the Thunder.

• Though it’s the second half of back-to-back games, the Mavericks could not have asked for a better scenario leading up to this clash. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving both had to play only 28 minutes in the blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. It certainly didn’t hurt the Mavericks’ cause that Victor Wembanyama was out for the Spurs, but as the Mavericks have learned many a time, opponents are never going to shed a tear for missing stars on the other side.
• While the Thunder’s injury situation has complicated their outlook, the Mavericks are getting healthier. P.J. Washington returned from a five-game absence on Saturday and came off the bench. Coach Jason Kidd has indicated that Washington will get back into the starting lineup at some point. The only player on the injury report is Dante Exum, who is out indefinitely after right wrist surgery.
• The Mavericks are in the middle of one of the most challenging stretches of the season, at least in terms of travel. Last week’s trip to Denver, Golden State and Utah started a stretch in which they will play 11 of 15 games on the road. They don’t play two games in a row in the same city again until a four-game home stand starts Dec. 19.
• The Thunder are closing out a six-game home stand, on which they are 4-1 so far. The only blemish was a 127-116 loss to Golden State a week ago. Since then they have rattled off wins over the LA Clippers, New Orleans and Phoenix.
• OKC is led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s runner-up for the MVP award. He’s averaging 27.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds. The Thunder also are getting 20.3 points from Williams.
• With the 7-1 Holmgren out, the Thunder are mixing and matching at their center position and may likely continue to do so until they get Isaiah Hartenstein back from a wrist injury. He was signed as a free agent from the New York Knicks in the offseason and hasn’t played since the preseason.

MAVERICKS (6-7) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (11-2)

WHEN: 6 p.m., Sunday

WHERE: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

TV: KFAA, Mavs StreamTV

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)