The Dallas Mavericks will be looking to continue their winning ways when they take on the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Friday. This is the second meeting between the sides this season, with the Thunder beating the Mavericks 101-94 at American Airlines Center on Oct. 27.
That loss was just one of many the Mavericks suffered at the start of the campaign, but things have gotten better lately. They are currently on a three-game winning streak and have taken down the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat in their last two games. The Mavericks, who are now 12th in the West with an 8-15 record, are slowly but surely starting to play better, but do they have what it takes to get the better of the best team in the NBA?
The Thunder come into this contest on a 13-game winning streak. They beat the Golden State Warriors 124-112 at Chase Center on Tuesday to improve to a league-best 21-1 on the season. The Warriors, of course, set the NBA record by going 73-9 in 2015-16, and this Thunder team has a shot at surpassing them.
What’s most impressive about this incredible start is that the Thunder have been without some of their key players at various points. Jalen Williams, who made the All-NBA Third Team in 2025, missed the first 19 games of the campaign as he was recovering from offseason wrist surgery.
Williams is the Thunder’s second-best player, and they went 18-1 without him. Also, by the time Williams returned, they had lost Alex Caruso (right quad contusion), Lu Dort (right adductor strain), and Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain). All three will be out for this clash as well, along with Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) and Nikola Topic (surgical recovery).
The Mavericks, meanwhile, will be without Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right foot injury management), and Dante Exum (right knee injury management). P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain) and Daniel Gafford (right ankle injury management) have been listed as questionable for this contest.
The Mavericks are certainly banged up and will need some more magic from Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis here. Flagg had a bit of a rough start to his NBA career, but has shown lately just why he was held in such high regard. He’s averaged 27.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last three games while shooting 59.3% from the field.
As for Davis, he has put up 24.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks over his last two games. He isn’t quite at his dominant best yet, but he is a big reason why the Mavericks have gone on this mini-run.
Another lesser-known reason is the play of rookie Ryan Nembhard. Nembhard has averaged 11.5 assists in his last two outings and has given this offense a much-needed boost from that point guard slot.
For all of Flagg, Davis, and Nembhard’s excellence, though, you still wouldn’t have given the Mavericks much of a chance against the Thunder, but the Warriors did give the reigning champions a run for their money last time out. Despite missing Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, Golden State roared back from a 22-point deficit to take a four-point lead in the fourth quarter.
A stunning upset looked to be on the cards, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then stepped up. Gilgeous-Alexander scored or assisted nine points in the final five minutes to help the Thunder turn the game around and come away with the win. The Canadian showed yet again why he is among the frontrunners for MVP.
Gilgeous-Alexander is now averaging 32.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26. He has been ridiculously efficient too, shooting 54.8% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks, though, did manage to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in check when these teams last met. He had 23 points that night and went 0-5 from the field in the fourth quarter. A repeat of this would be needed if the Mavericks are to level up the season series. It doesn’t seem likely that they’ll pull it off, though.
The Mavericks’ biggest strength this season has been their defense. Despite their poor record, their 111.3 defensive rating ranks fourth in the NBA. While that is impressive, the Thunder are, unfortunately, way better than they are in that regard. Their 103.8 defensive rating is the best in the NBA by a mile.
On the flip side, the Mavericks’ 107.6 offensive rating ranks dead last in the league. They have fared better during this three-game win streak, though, and this will be a great test. We’ll find out a lot about this Mavericks team in this clash with the Thunder, which tips off at 9:30 PM ET. If they hold their own or even win, then you would start fancying their chances of going on a bit of a run and making a push for the playoffs.
