The Thunder roll into Dallas on Wednesday night with a perfect record still intact, but they’ll have to navigate a long injury list and a tricky road matchup against a Mavericks team coming off a win of its own.
Oklahoma City improved to 4-0 with a 125-114 home victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Dallas sits at 2-2 after taking a 113-109 road win over the Miami Heat on the same night.
The teams meet at American Airlines Center with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. CT.
The game will air on ESPN and KSBI OKC. It can also be watched online through Thunder+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
The betting line has Oklahoma City favored by 6.5 points, with the over/under set at 229.5. The Thunder are listed at -225 on the moneyline, while Dallas is +185.
Justin Martinez is taking the Mavericks at home, calling for a 116-110 Dallas win. He pointed to the sheer number of unavailable Thunder players, writing: “Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are out for the foreseeable future.
Chet Holmgren will miss a second straight game. Alex Caruso is also out.
Even Ajay Mitchell is now listed as questionable. And that's a lot to overcome despite OKC's depth entering the season.
The Thunder won't many answers for Cooper Flagg, and it'll struggle even more to contain Kyrie Irving if he plays. I'm going with the Mavericks at home.”
Oklahoma City’s injury report is heavy. Alex Caruso is out with a right ankle sprain, Chet Holmgren is out with right knee patellar tendinitis, Thomas Sorber is out following right knee surgery, Nikola Topić remains out after low back surgery, Cason Wallace is sidelined by a left shoulder labral tear, and Jalen Williams is out with a left ankle fracture. Ajay Mitchell is questionable with a right ankle sprain.
Dallas has its own list to manage. Kyrie Irving is questionable with left knee injury management, Naji Marshall is questionable with an illness, and Caleb Martin is questionable with a right thumb sprain. Santi Aldama is doubtful with right knee surgery, Tarik Biberovic is doubtful with right heel bursitis, Sergio de Larrea is out with a right knee sprain, and Dereck Lively II is out after right foot surgery.
The projected Thunder starters are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Dallas is projected to open with Walter Clayton Jr., Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford.
In Other News...
Thunder Starting Five Suddenly Matters A Lot More In Dallas
The Thunders three-game road trip opens in Dallas with a much different feel now that the roster is thinned by injuries and the margin for error has shrunk. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are already out for the season, and Oklahoma City is also missing several other key players as it tries to navigate a difficult stretch that continues against Houston and Cleveland.
Mark Daigneault did not leave much mystery around who would be asked to carry the load, announcing the starting lineup shortly before tip-off as the Thunder settled in for a tougher-than-usual night. Ajay Mitchell adds one more piece of stability after being upgraded from questionable with an ankle sprain, but the bigger issue is how Oklahoma City holds up with so much of its usual rotation unavailable in a game that suddenly carries more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Giddey Just Got Pulled Into An OKC Rumor Bulls Fans Notice
The injury wave hitting the early NBA season has already forced Oklahoma City to keep reworking its rotation, with Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace both sidelined. That has naturally led to some outside chatter about whether the Thunder might look around for help, and ESPNs Brian Windhorst floated a familiar idea: if Oklahoma City does make a move, it may be for someone it already knows.
That kind of speculation is what sent Bulls fans down the Josh Giddey rabbit hole, even if the fit is far from simple. Giddeys name will always draw attention in OKC circles, but his $25 million salary over the next two seasons makes any reunion look like a long shot, especially with contract math and roster fit both working against a quick return. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Injuries Could Force Aday Mara Into A Bigger Role
The Thunder are already trying to absorb the early hit of losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, and the injuries could force the coaching staff to rethink how it spreads the offense. With two rotation pieces potentially out for a long stretch, Oklahoma City may need to find scoring and creation in places it did not plan on relying this heavily, which is where rookie Aday Mara starts to enter the conversation.
Mara has the kind of size and passing feel that can give a team a different look, even if his minutes have been limited so far. For a Thunder group navigating an unexpectedly thin roster, there is at least a path toward asking more of him on offense, but whether that becomes a real adjustment or just an idea for now is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]