Dallas Mavericks Harrison Barnes Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night and here is a preview of that Western Conference battle.
The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder have their first meeting of the season on Saturday evening in Texas. They are two teams with contrasting trajectories.
In years past, Dallas and OKC was a rivalry of epic proportions. In its infancy, there were the budding stars of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook along with the sneaky James Harden.
Despite the self-implosion of Dallas after the 2011 championship campaign, the embers of playoffs contests slowly waved. Dallas hasn’t won a playoff series since the previously mentioned 2010-2011 season. Moreover, the Thunder are responsible for two of the four first-round knockouts in the Mavs’ post-championship era.
Fast forward to present time and the Mavs aren’t complete underdogs versus the playoff-hopeful Thunder. Although both teams inherited polar opposite projections for the year, in the past two seasons, the Mavericks are a respectable three wins and four losses in a matchup opposing the Thunder. A squad featuring two all-stars and a brute of a center.
OKC started with a worse record than Dallas. However, after losing their first four games of the season, the Russell Westbrook and Paul George led squad sparked a seven-game win streak.
Westbrook’s been nursing a sprained ankle since Wednesday night. He is currently listed as out on the official NBA injury report, but regardless of whether or not the 2017 MVP suits up, the Mavericks can’t afford to lose focus on the matchup nightmare in Paul George and the blistering big, Steven Adams.
Here is a look at a few matchups and scenarios to keep in mind for Saturday’s spectacle.
