The Thunder’s rival from down I-35 has some new faces in the mix, but tonight it’ll be the same principles as always that determine whether the Thunder can get a hard-earned home win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki is still stalking the perimeter for Dallas, awaiting jump shot opportunities, and J.J. Barea still plays a part in the Mavericks’ second unit. With Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams and Zaza Pachulia playing key roles in the rotation, however, the Mavericks are a slightly different challenge than they have been in years past.
For the Thunder, defending Dallas will still come down to some core areas where Head Coach Billy Donovan’s team must execute – covering the three-point line in transition and moving the ball and bodies within the offensive half court in order to get high percentage shots.
"They have smart guys and they’re going to make you play the whole shot clock," forward Nick Collison said. "They’re not going to make a lot of mistakes and hurt themselves. Being able to concentrate and focus for the entire game and each possession, the whole 24 seconds and the entire 48 minutes. They usually won’t beat themselves. They pass the ball well. That focus and that mindset is big."
With bruising big men like Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and Serge Ibaka at its disposal, the Thunder can elect to take advantage of its size. In fact, the Thunder ranks first in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 32.2 percent of its misses. Those second chance opportunities have led to 17.2 points per game, best in the league.
On the perimeter, with Russell Westbrook and Dion Waiters do the heavy lifting in terms of playmaking, and their ability to gash the defense and get to the rim will be important as well. In fact, the Thunder is tied for second in the NBA with 46.8 points per game in the paint. Despite not shooting the ball well from three-point range on Friday, the Thunder is confident in its ability to put pressure on the rim to open up catch-and-shoot opportunities along the perimeter.
"Russ is one of the best at attacking the rim," Collison said. "Dion has been attacking the rim well. If we can run good offense and move ourselves and move the ball there are more opportunities to attack. Offensively we’ve been doing okay. We can get better. We want to be able to attack the rim and get open shots at three."
The Mavericks come into this contest having won six straight games, while the Thunder is coming off of a tough loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night. Despite going up against a challenging opponent who is on a roll, the Thunder is confident in its ability to play tough, hard-nosed basketball in a bounce-back situation.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Broadcast Information
Tip-off: 6:00 p.m. CT
Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network