Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder are among the NBA’s brightest stars. Both players finished in the top three in the Most Valuable Player voting last season, with Gilgeous-Alexander securing second place and Doncic third.
On Tuesday, the Mavericks and Thunder face off in the first round of the NBA Cup’s knockout stage. This game is a rematch of last season’s second-round playoff series, which Dallas won 4-2.
Doncic has been on fire since returning from a right wrist sprain that sidelined him for five games in late November. In the four games since his return, he is averaging 31.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. Doncic comes into Tuesday’s game with two consecutive triple-doubles. In Saturday’s win against the Toronto Raptors, Doncic recorded 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, moving past Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden to seventh on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list with 79.
In last season’s playoff series against the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game, while Doncic averaged 24.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, achieving a triple-double in each of the final three games.
Gilgeous-Alexander has continued his impressive form this season, scoring at least 30 points in six of his past seven games. The Thunder have won seven of their past eight games, including three consecutive victories, while the Mavericks are the NBA’s hottest team with seven straight wins.
Tuesday’s game, which also counts towards the regular-season standings, will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. In the first encounter on November 17, Doncic missed the Mavericks’ 121-119 win in Oklahoma City due to a bruised right knee. P.J. Washington led Dallas with 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Close games have been the norm for this series recently, with six of the past nine regular-season meetings decided by single digits.
The first meeting of the season was one of the Thunder’s last without Isaiah Hartenstein, a 7-footer who missed the first 15 games with a hand fracture. Since returning, Hartenstein has helped Oklahoma City adjust to the loss of Chet Holmgren. In eight games, Hartenstein is averaging 11.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, significantly exceeding his previous career averages.
For the Mavericks, Washington and Naji Marshall are questionable for Tuesday’s game due to illnesses, while Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) and Maxi Kleber (illness) are out. Washington was the only one of the four to play in Saturday’s win against Toronto.
The winner of this quarterfinal clash will advance to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals, where they will face the winner of Wednesday night’s matchup between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks.
