Previewing Thunder Lineup Ahead of Mavericks' NBA Cup Quarterfinal

Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks will once again travel to the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, but this time around, an appearance in the NBA Cup Semifinals is on the line. The quarterfinals of the Cup will feature eight teams, all with a chance to advance to the next round in Las Vegas and eventually play for the tournament title. Dallas versus Oklahoma City and Houston versus Golden State will serve as the Western Conference matchups, while Milwaukee versus Orlando and New York versus Atlanta will determine who makes it in the Eastern Conference.

The last time the Mavericks played OKC, they snuck out a 121-119 victory without star point guard Luka Doncic, a game in which they were double-digit underdogs. Behind elite performances from Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington, they pulled the upset, which helped to spring them into their current winning streak.

Of course, they could be without Washington tonight, who is dealing with a non-COVID illness. Naji Marshall is also listed as questionable due to the same ailment, so Dallas may be down two starting-caliber forwards in a game where they need as much defensive boost as they can get. Currently, the high-powered Oklahoma City offense ranks eighth in the NBA in offensive rating at 115.2.

The star for the Thunder is point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Kentucky product acquired in the infamous Paul George trade that resulted in the current embarrassment of riches in draft capital for Oklahoma City. A bonafide MVP candidate, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.8 points on a very efficient 50.8% from the field and 85.6% from the free-throw line. Though he has struggled to shoot the three effectively this year, he has more than made up for it with his ability to score inside the arc, and more specifically, in the paint.

Fellow Kentucky guard Cason Wallace will hold down the two-spot, a combo guard with elite defensive prowess who played for Richardson High School in the Dallas Metroplex area. His ability to lock up opposing ball handlers on the perimeter makes him a valuable starter for a team that is first in the NBA in defensive rating at a blistering 103.3. Though not a scoring threat in his second season of professional basketball, he will be an excellent counter to Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.

Luguentz Dort will be the wing for the Thunder, another defensive specialist whose three-point shot has dramatically improved over his career. He is a more than capable spot-up shooter, hitting 39% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season on 5.3 attempts per game. Considering Dallas could be missing their two best defensive forwards, Dort is a player who is capable of doing damage if left open on the perimeter.

Forward Jalen Williams has catapulted himself into stardom over the last couple of seasons, and is currently second on the Thunder in points per game at 22.0, behind only Gilgeous-Alexander. He's also second on the team in rebounds per game (6.1) per active players as Chet Holmgren (8.7 rebounds) is sidelined with a long-term injury. Williams has demonstrated his value as a second option scoring-wise and could have a much easier time due to the possible absences of Washington and Marshall for Dallas.

The last time these teams played, OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein was out with a hand fracture, but since his return, he has been absolutely crucial to the Thunder's success. In his eight games since returning, he has averaged a monster 12.8 rebounds per game, which would rank third in the NBA currently if he were able to qualify by games played. His paint presence will prove to be extremely important in this particular game, as Dallas out-rebounded the Thunder 53-29 in their last meeting. This will almost certainly not be the case tonight, as Oklahoma City has since abandoned the small-ball lineup, transitioning back into a more traditional setup on the interior.

The Thunder's bench unit will feature guards Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe, wings Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins, and forward Kenrich Williams. Reserve center Branden Carlson may also see minutes due to the absence of Ousmane Dieng, but the Thunder typically runs a tighter rotation of about 10-to-11 players per game as opposed to teams like Golden State, who will run 14 deep.

Though Dallas was able to win last time without Doncic on the floor, the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein is major for a Thunder team that struggled mightily on the boards in the last matchup. Combine that with the aforementioned possible absences from key players for Dallas, especially players that rebound the ball and defend well, and the Mavericks will likely have a much tougher time this go around scoring on second-chance opportunities. It will require hot shooting and big-time outings from centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in order to pull off yet another upset, but with the way this team has been playing, anything is possible.

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