Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 05/05/2024, 15:00  by Devesh Jaganath in NBA Predictions

The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet in Game 1 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs this Tuesday at the Paycom Center. The hosts ended the regular season as the number one seed in the Western Conference, while the visitors finished fifth. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder secured their spot in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs with a clean sweep over the New Orleans Pelicans, marking their first playoff series win since 2016. OKC's defense was particularly impressive in the first round, holding the Pelicans to an average of fewer than 90 points per game across the four matchups. The Thunder dominated the regular-season series against the Mavericks with a 3-1 record, and they have won five of their last seven meetings over the past two seasons. Their success has leaned on their young trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, all of whom made significant contributions in their debut playoff series against New Orleans. Given the relative youth and inexperience of the Thunder, it's worth considering how well they can maintain composure on a bigger stage with higher stakes. Fortunately, two of their top four players, Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort, bring a combined 28 games of postseason experience to the team. 

It's been a while since these teams faced off in the postseason. The last encounter was in 2016 when the Thunder defeated the Mavericks 4-1. In fact, the Thunder have emerged victorious in the last two playoff series between these teams. The Dallas Mavericks secured their first-round series victory over the Clippers in Game 6 on Friday. The star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving made a significant impact in their postseason debut, leading Dallas to the series win, with both players averaging over 25 points per game across the six games. While the Mavericks faced criticism earlier in the season for their defensive performance, they showed significant improvement towards the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. In the opening round, they demonstrated those defensive improvements by limiting the Clippers to fewer than 95 points in three games. Following reports in the week, Maxi Kleber is likely to miss this match due to a separated shoulder, and his availability for the remainder of the playoffs is a major doubt.