GameDay: Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
Mavericks at Thunder
7 p.m. Wednesday, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
TV: FSSWRadio: ESPN/103.3 FM, ESPN/1540 AM (Sp.)
Records: Mavs 45-29; Thunder 42-32
About the Mavericks: Guards Monta Ellis (lower right leg injury) and J.J. Barea (sprained left ankle) went through the entire practice session Tuesday, and both are likely to play. Ellis has missed one game after being injured Friday against San Antonio, and Barea sat out the past four games after being hurt in practice. ... With the regular season winding down, the Mavericks are spiraling in the wrong direction. Since the cursing match between coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Rajon Rondo on Feb. 24, the Mavericks are 6-9 including losses in four of their past five. ... This is the first of back-to-back games for the Mavericks, who host the Houston Rockets on Thursday. The Mavericks are 8-7 on the front leg of a back-to-back. ... Tyson Chandler has played in 68 games this season and has 10 or more rebounds in 45 of those contests.
About the Thunder: Oklahoma City is in a race with the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. The Thunder is two-and-a-half games ahead of the Pelicans and four-and-a-half games ahead of the Suns. OKC is only three games behind the Mavs for the seventh spot. ... While Tuesday’s right foot surgery has shelved MVP Kevin Durant for the rest of this season, MVP candidate Russell Westbrook has nine triple-doubles and is averaging 27.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists. ... Enes Kanter (17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds), Steven Adams (7.8 points, 7.6 rebounds) and Mitch McGary (7.0 points, 5.2 rebounds) help OKC lead the NBA with 47.6 rebounds a game. ... The Thunder has won five of seven games, including Sunday’s 109-97 win at Phoenix when they rallied from a 54-34 deficit midway through the second quarter and received 33 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals from Westbrook.
This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "GameDay: Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder."