Mavs vs. Thunder Preview: Luka Doncic OUT for 2nd Night of Back-to-Back

The Dallas Mavericks look to win their second-straight game on the second-night of a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

Michael Mulford | Jan 8, 2023

The Dallas Mavericks (23-17) hit the road to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-22) on Sunday on the second-night of a back-to-back.

Dallas handled their business on Saturday at home against a shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans team, 127-117.

Luka Doncic notched yet another triple-double in the victory — the 55th of his career and league-leading 10th this season — finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while Christian Wood scored 28 points of his own in the win.

Following the win, Doncic mentioned that he may rest in Sunday's matchup against the Thunder as his ankle has been bothering him so expect a Doncic-less Mavericks unit today in OKC.

UPDATE: Doncic is indeed out for tonight’s matchup per Mavs PR.

The Thunder are coming off a 127-110 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday as all OKC starters scored in double-figures, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 points.

Dallas and OKC have split their season series so far, 1-1.

Here's everything else you need to know about tonight's game:

FUN FACT: Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy has scored 15 points in back-to-back games. Hardy has poured in 71 points in just 114 minutes played this season. That’s making the most of the opportunities given to you.

With Doncic potentially out on Sunday, look for the rook to get a more time on the court.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (23-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (17-22)

WHEN: Sunday, January 8, 2023 – 6:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, OK)

TV: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League Pass

RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

ODDS: The Thunder are 3.5-point favorites over the Mavs

NEXT UP: Doncic and the Mavs hit the West Coast on to visit Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers at 9:30pm CT.

FINAL WORD: "I think it's always good to see how people handle the situation,” said Kidd of the closing lineup vs. New Orleans.

“It's easy to bring Timmy [Hardaway Jr.], Luka [Dončić] and those guys back in, but the team doesn't grow. Having [Jaden] Hardy, Theo [Pinson] and those guys out there to execute getting the ball in and then being able to knock down free throws ... I think it is a great opportunity for those guys who don't get to play a lot of minutes to feel a little pressure there."

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Published Jan 8, 2023

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.