Preview: Thunder (16-4) at Mavericks (14-8)

Earl K. Sneed previews the defending champion Dallas Mavericks' home matchup against two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the NBA's best record.

DALLAS — It might be too early in the season to refer to Wednesday night’s nationally-televised matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder as a “benchmark game,” but the two Western Conference powers will have an opportunity to judge how their teams stack up as the month of February begins.

After beginning the season 0-3, the defending champion Mavericks (14-8) completed a franchise-record 18 games in January with a 13-5 record. The team now tries to knock off their emerging rival and the team with the NBA’s best record, the Thunder, for a second time at home.

“Look, we’re a franchise that expects to win games and it starts with [Mavericks owner Mark Cuban] at the top,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We place high standard on our play. And when you get off to an abysmal start like we did, it’s painful. But we’ve climbed out of that and we’ve got to understand that just ‘cause we’re winning and playing well now, there’s nothing guaranteed and we’ve gotta keep working at it.”

The Mavs’ two games against the Thunder (16-4) thus far this season have proven that nothing is indeed guaranteed. And with the Thunder having won eight out of its last 10 contests but reeling after a 112-100 road defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night, the reigning titleholders can expect yet another great challenge.

“It’s starting to be a little bit of a rivalry,” reserve guard Jason Terry said. “We’ve split now on the season series, so we’re looking to go home and take care of business.”

“I hate saying [benchmark game] early in the season, because you never know what’s going to happen in the playoffs,” leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki added. “They’re obviously a young team. They came out the gates on fire. They play fast, they’ve got one of the greatest scorers in this league and they’re a great team. But we usually play them well. We lost on a buzzer-beater down there and we beat them at our place, so it should be a fun game.”

It looked like the Mavs had a Dec. 29 meeting in Oklahoma City all but won after a clutch 3-pointer by newcomer Vince Carter. However, the visitors would be forced to watch as two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant downed them to a 104-102 loss with a three of his own as time expired. Four nights later, the Mavs got their revenge at the American Airlines Center with a 100-87 victory, ending the Thunder’s 5-0 start to the season.

Wednesday night, with the Mavs on a three-game winning streak and continuing to play well without injured point guard Jason Kidd due to a strained right calf, the team will look for more home cooking.

“They’re the best team in the league record-wise. Hey, they’re mowing people down right now,” Carlisle added. “They’re a great basketball team and they’re extremely well-coached. So, we’re gonna have to be ready.”

In addition to slowing down Durant, the Mavericks will also be faced with the challenge of containing point guard Russell Westbrook after his 31-point performance Monday night in a losing cause. That responsibility will fall on third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois for most of the night as Kidd continues to sit after missing the last two games.

Offensively, the Mavs will lean once again on Carter and fellow new addition Delonte West after their big nights Monday in Phoenix. Led by West’s season-high 25 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting and 5-of-6 from three, the Mavs notched their third straight victory overall with a 122-99 road win over the Steve Nash-less Suns. Meanwhile, Carter tied his season-high scoring output of 21 points from the night before in a 101-100 overtime home win against San Antonio.

“We’re moving the ball, finding the open guy and guys are hitting shots,” Carter explained. “This is a team where we don’t really care how many points you score. We’re worried about are we playing together and are we making the right play.”

And with the Mavs’ offense clicking on all cylinders even without Kidd in the lineup, dishing out 31 assists against the Suns minus the pass-first future Hall of Famer, the Dallas squad heads into its much-anticipated matchup against the Western Conference finalist with plenty of confidence.

Note: The Mavs return home to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The two teams are tied at 1-1 in the season series with both winning at home. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-6287.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.