The Dallas Mavericks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in Game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, where they will attempt to tie the series 1-1 with a win.
Dallas is coming off a tough 117-95 loss in Game 1, in which they never found a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball, shooting just 39.3% from the field and 34.3% from behind the three-point line.
A loss in Game 1 of a series is not uncommon for the Mavericks as the team has yet to win the first game of a series since Head Coach Jason Kidd took over in 2021, finishing 0-5 in these games, according to Stat Muse.
Oklahoma City was the second most effective team on their home court during the NBA’s regular season, with a 33-8 record, trailing only the Boston Celtics.
However, the Mavericks will look to steal a game as they were one of the best teams in the league on the road. They finished the regular season with an overall road record of 25-16, which ranked as the sixth-best record of the 30 teams, per Stat Muse.
Dallas has been led in this postseason by its two star guards. Luka Doncic has averaged 28.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 9.4 assists through the seven games played.
Guard Kyrie Irving has been one of the most efficient players across the entire playoffs thus far, putting up 25.6 points while also shooting 51.2% from the field and an incredible 47.2% from behind the three-point line.
Although the Mavericks’ calling card in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers was their defense, the team struggled to get stops in Game 1 against the Thunder.
Oklahoma City managed to score 117 points while shooting 44.9% from the field and 45.7% from behind the three-point line, with many of their attempts coming uncontested in the second half of the game.
Kidd discussed the defensive struggles in Game 1 and said that the team “didn’t have great balance,” flatly saying that they have “got to be better on the defensive end.”
“But there’s going to some breakdowns and you’ve got to be able to minimize those. Just looking at the tape and talking about it today as a team, we can be better. So that’s a good thing,” he added, according to The Mavericks.
A win in Game 2 would help shift the odds back in the Mavericks’ favor as they would gain the home-court advantage before heading back to Dallas for the next two games.
Oklahoma City Head Coach Mark Daigneault spoke after Game 1 about the need for a hot start and said the Mavericks are “a heavyweight matchup,” noting that no team will just give up once the playoffs begin.
“To think that you’re going to go through games or a series when they don’t land on punches is just unrealistic. It’s a long series. We have to be ready for a better version of them coming out,” he said, according to ESPN.
