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

Prediction published on 08/05/2024, 18:12  by Devesh Jaganath in NBA Predictions

The Western Conference's number-one-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks will tip-off in Game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs on Thursday night. The hosts lead the series 1-0. 

OKC secured their first advancement past the opening round since 2016 by sweeping the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder kept their flawless Playoff record intact in Game 1 of this series, dominating with a 117-95 win on Tuesday, driven by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 29-point performance. Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play a pivotal role in his team's exceptional displays, orchestrating the game's tempo and greatly assisting his teammates. Oklahoma City's defense has been stellar in the post-season, allowing just 90.6 points per game in the playoffs, the lowest through five games by any team since the 2016 San Antonio Spurs. Lu Dort and rookie center Chet Holmgren lead the defensive charge, with Holmgren registering three blocks and limiting the Mavericks to 5-of-15 shooting on contested shots. Put simply, OKC outmatched Dallas in nearly every aspect, including neutralizing the league's top scorer, Luka Doncic. Having won the regular-season series against the Mavericks 3-1, the Thunder look set to secure a 2-0 advantage before the series shifts to Texas.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks got to the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs after a 4-2 series victory over the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. In Game 1 against Oklahoma City, the Mavericks seemed to lack ideas at times and found themselves stifled whenever they attempted to mount a comeback. Doncic, playing through injury, notably struggled with a sprained right knee compounded by the monstrous defense of OKC's Lu Dort, limiting him to 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, breaking his streak of 24 consecutive playoff games with at least 20 points. Despite a commendable 20-point performance from Kyrie Irving, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, his reduced shot attempts in the second half echo a concerning pattern that seems to have carried forward from the Clippers series into the conference semifinals. Dallas will be missing Maxi Kleber due to a shoulder injury sustained in the first round.