Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder faceoff in an excellent Western Conference matchup. Currently five games beneath the Thunder in the standings, the Mavs hope to even the gap with a win. Don't miss any of the action; the live stream link, TV schedule, betting line, a preview and prediction follow.
Game Time: 8:00 p.m. CT
TV Channel: FS Oklahoma HD or FSSW
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Stream: NBA League Pass ($6.99 per game)
Potential Free Live Stream: Stream2U
Betting Line: -11 OKC; 207.5 O/U
OKC is obviously the heavy favorite in this one, with the fourth-best record in the Association and playing at home. It's been well documented that the Thunder have one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA, and they're 17-5 at Energy Arena this season.
But the Mavs are no slouches on the road. At 11-10, they are one of only five teams in the West with an above-.500 road record, and hope to keep that alive tonight. But the task is tall.
The Thunder's top four players this season are undoubtedly Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter. Combined, those four average an incredible 76.8 points, 28.9 rebounds and 15.2 assists; three of them have a PER better than 24 as well. Suffice to say, they've been key to their success, and they've won 16 of their last 20 games.
Dallas, meanwhile, relies very heavily on its full roster. The Mavs are an extremely experienced team -- not to say they're all old, but they all have quite a few years under their belts. Considering they weren't expected to be one of the better teams in the West, they've come together and gelled in a way not many thought possible. That said, Dirk Nowitzki has still been their leader and is testing Father Time, averaging nearly 18 points a game and 6.8 rebounds. Deron Williams has started to fit in nicely and Wesley Matthews is getting better week to week following his nasty injury a year ago.
In this matchup in Oklahoma City, however, the only way the Mavs will be able to keep up is if they can force the Thunder into enough mistakes. OKC can be turnover prone, and Dallas needs to play to that as much as possible. Otherwise, this game could get ugly in a hurry.
Prediction: Thunder 115, Mavericks 102
