Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: The Mavs can face resistance

The NBA is on and this has been a fascinating passage of play for most of the squads as we head deeper. There are a lot of variations that occur throughout the season, we are going to see a lot of changes in the records. Anyway, keeping that in mind, the Dallas Mavericks are going to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the inter-conference battle.

The Mavericks come into this game after losing 115:144 despite a 27 points outburst by Spencer Dinwiddie. The Mavs played in the game without Luka Doncic and apart from that, this was their second game on the second night, that too away from home. Before that, they had a heartbreaking one-point loss, and all that has contributed to just a 50% win record which is sort of underwhelming for the reigning Conference Finalists.

Their defense has been on point lately but overall, they have been inconsistent just like last season. But we are still some time away from the midseason window. If things continue as they are, the Mavs may explore the trade market. Their offense is three-point heavy and they rank dead-last in paint points while also being the worst rebounding team in the league by a fair margin. Luka has received support from Dinwiddie, Wood, and Hardaway on offense but the team certainly lacks the scoring depth in the Forward positions.

The Thunder come into this game after losing 102:110 against the Cavs despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points. The young squad has garnered 11 wins and 15 losses, nothing spectacular but still a big improvement from last season. Their offense has improved but their scoring depth is still shallow with only Shai being a consistent scorer and no other player even averaging 15 points a game.

The trouble is that the team’s defense has fallen way below than it was last season when their offense was worst in the league, so there is the imbalance now shifted on the defensive side of things. They can force a ton of turnovers and are number in one that category but they have still allowed fifth-most field goals in a game. This can be due to the change in the style of play as the team has looked to push the ball, but allowing 117+ points a game on average is going to hurt them.

• Mavericks: OUT: Josh Green. QUESTIONABLE: Davis Bertans, Maxi Kleber. PROBABLE: Luka Doncic;
• Thunder: OUT: Kenrich Williams, Chet Holmgren.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Luka Doncic(29+ Points), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(28+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Luka Doncic(10-13 Rebounds), Josh Giddey(9-13 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Luka Doncic(8-11 Assists), Josh Giddey(5-8 Assists).

The Mavericks haven’t been a team that strikes fear but they are still a handful to deal with when they are at home. Despite their last two losses, the Thunder has looked like a tough squad, however, their effort this season may fall apart after a point considering their glaring lack of depth in multiple positions. As for this game, the Mavs may be in for a big win here but I am not convinced that the Thunder will crumble completely. I expect a big effort from Thunder but ultimately the Mavericks seal the deal with some disciplined defense. I predict a scoreline of 119:114 in favor of the Mavs.