Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will be playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. As many fans should be aware, the Mavericks started off the NBA season quite well. They currently hold a record of 11 wins and 7 losses, giving them the 4th position in the Western Conference.
Another team that has started off the 2023-2024 NBA season remarkably well is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren has carried the OKC Thunder to a record of 12 wins and 6 losses. That gives them the 3rd position in the West.
Given the similarity in records between both teams, there is no denying that the outcome of this game will affect their respective positions in their conference. That said, let us take a closer look at the injury reports, expected lineups, and predictions for this game.
Luka Doncic is questionable for the Dallas Mavericks vs OKC Thunder game tonight
Doncic has been playing at an elite level to start off the NBA season and is already being involved in MVP conversations. Since the Mavs are doing quite well, it is certainly possible for him to win the MVP award if he continues to dominate.
Unfortunately for Mavericks fans, Luka’s status for this game against the Thunder isn’t very clear. He did not play in the Mavs’ last game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to personal reasons. While this means that he is not dealing with any injury, it also makes it difficult for us to know when he will be done with his issues and return to the court.
In the event that Luka does not play, the rest of the Mavericks will have to step up to the occasion and try to get this win against the OKC Thunder. That said, here are the injury reports and expected starting lineups for both sides.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Luka Doncic (questionable)
- Maxi Kleber (out)
- Dante Exum (questionable)
- Tim Hardaway Jr.(questionable)
Dallas Mavericks expected starting lineup
- Kyrie Irving
- Josh Green
- Derrick Jones Jr.
- Grant Williams
- Dereck Lively II
Oklahoma City Thunder injury report
(There are no injuries reported for the OKC Thunder tonight)
Oklahoma City Thunder expected starting lineup
- Josh Giddey
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Luguentz Dort
- Jalen Williams
- Chet Holmgren
As we can tell, the injury reports indicate quite a one-sided situation. The Mavs have several key players including Doncic who might miss this game. On the other hand, the OKC Thunder look perfectly healthy. Nonthless, here are the expert predictions for this game.
The Thunder are slightly favored over the Mavericks tonight
This entire prediction is under the assumption that Luka Doncic is still preoccupied with his personal reasons and does not play. Without him, the Mavs will not have enough scoring and playmaking abilities to keep up with this OKC Thunder team. Holmgren is already making a strong case for winning the ROTY award.
If Luka plays in this game, he and Kyrie will be the best duo on the court and favored to win the match. However, the OKC Thunder might prove to be too much for the Mavs to handle under the assumption that Doncic misses this game. Since his absence is a real possibility, we have the OKC Thunder winning tonight.