OKC Thunder Preview: Can They Keep Winning vs. Dallas?

Early Rumblings is your ultimate OKC Thunder preview for tonight’s game. Oklahoma City has won two straight and appears to have turned a corner in Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bulls. They face a Dallas team struggling to regain consistency before the playoffs but will be fully-rested before the contest. Do the Thunder have enough to remain sharp against a motivated Mavericks team?

Oklahoma City Thunder (37-29) @ Dallas Mavericks (42-25)

7:30 p.m. CST – Monday, March 16, 2015 – American Airlines Center

Broadcast on ABC

STARTING LINEUP: OKC	STARTING LINEUP: DAL
Russell Westbrook	G	Rajon Rondo	G
Andre Roberson	G	Monta Ellis	G
Kyle Singler	F	Chandler Parsons	F
Steven Adams*	F	Dirk Nowitzki	F
Enes Kanter	C	Tyson Chandler	C

Key Reserves

OKC Thunder: Dion Waiters, D.J. Augustin, Anthony Morrow, Nick Collison, Mitch McGary

Dallas Mavericks: Amar’e Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, Devin Harris, J.J. Barea

*Serge Ibaka has missed the past two games with knee soreness and hasn’t been confirmed for tonight’s game. If he’s available, he’ll likely start in Adams’ place.

Storm Alert – What to Look For in Today’s Game

Daily Reminder: The Oklahoma City Thunder really must win, the Oklahoma City Thunder really must win, the Oklahoma City Thunder really must…

Biggest story: The Mavericks have been struggling of late, having dropped five of their last eight games. Nowitzki, the aging superstar, has scored 14 points or less in every game this month and is clearly no longer the focal point for the team’s offense. And Rondo, the mid-season acquisition, has had some well-publicized issues with the team’s coaches. But do not make the mistake of counting this team out. They’re too well coached, too dangerous and too balanced to simply implode. While the pieces haven’t figured out how to fit together (something they might not do this season), this team is capable of either beating you or losing to you by 20 points.

Best matchup: Ibaka might not be available to play and Coach Scott Brooks may decide to go with a “twin towers” lineup featuring Kanter/Adams. The duo combined for 32 points and 29 rebounds against the Bulls and face another tough matchup against Dallas. Adams (should he start) is quick enough to harass Nowitzki while Kanter should be able to score against Tyson Chandler. The bigger issue will be for Adams to avoid foul trouble with a thin reserve group available to play. Mitch McGary, in a backup role, will be matched up against Stoudemire in what should be a clash of contrasting styles.

Why you should watch: This doesn’t have the same feel of past contests between the two rivals, what with Kevin Durant still missing and Nowitzki no longer in his sharpshooting prime. But the teams have retooled this year through various trades and it’ll be interesting to see if some of that familiar animosity starts to play a role. Will fatigue be a factor for the Thunder and can they stay focused and engaged? That will be the ultimate challenge, as another win would put them a full game over the New Orleans Pelicans in a tightly-contested playoff race.

Current trend: Dallas has been losing big over the last few weeks. The six games they’ve lost since the All-Star break have been by an average of nearly 19 points…During Nowitzki’s tough stretch, he’s averaging just 12.4 points per game on just 38.4 percent shooting…Should Ibaka play, he’ll be counted on for some much-needed efficiency. In the past two games against the Mavs, he’s scored a total of 47 points on 19-of-26 shooting and grabbed 32 rebounds as well.

History pattern: Westbrook has averaged 28 PPG in his last five visits to Dallas…Tonight’s game will be a challenge as both the second of a back-to-back set and on the road. OKC had won eight straight on the end of back-to-backs before losing its last two, both on the road…Kanter’s career averages of 8.1 points and 7.2 rebounds versus Dallas are among the lowest against any NBA team. But he exceeded expectations against Chicago (with 18 points and 18 rebounds) and will counted on once again tonight.

"*Statistics are provided by ESPN.com or Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted"

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