PRETENDERS OR
CONTENDERS?
Lets be honest, did anyone expect the Dallas Mavericks to be 6-2 after week 2? I’m
good friends with GM Smokey but even I’ll admit I thought they were a couple of
years away. Digging deeper though and its evident they have a solid base of talent.
They landed Paul Millsap for pretty much nothing, added KCP to the wings and
have a healthy Nerleans Noel for a change. Add a great draft with the additions
of Lonzo Ball and Jonathan Isaac and it starts to become clear how the Mavs
have started so well.
The Thunder are a
perennial contender and with the addition of George you would be expecting a
finals appearance this season. Currently atop of the west with a 7-1 record,
the Thunder have set the tone early. Lead by their all-star wings (Not a
centre!!!) Butler and George the Thunder have had their way with all opponents
but the Cavaliers (which was an OT loss at home) It'll be interesting
to see where the Mavericks are in say 6 weeks’ time, but GM Smokey is a great
coach and this Mavs team does have stacked talent, so it may not be too much of
a surprise to see them nestled in the top 8 out west. On the other side, I’m expecting
the Thunder to be representing the west in the NLL finals, they’re that good.
Any team that puts out Jokic, Dray, George, Butler and Rubio on a nightly basis
should be expecting a championship run. LAST TIME OUT
This is the team’s first matchup this season. MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
DAL
6-2
3rd in West
106.0 PPG (11th in NLL)
42.0 RPG (19th in NLL)
24.8 APG (8th in NLL) OKC
7-1
1st in West
107.40 PPG (4th in NLL)
43.3 RPG (8th in NLL)
25.8 APG (2nd in NLL)
PROJECTED STARTERS
DAL: Ball, Caldwell-Pope, Ennis, Millsap, Noel
OKC: Schroder, Butler, George, Green, Jokic INJURY & ROSTER
NOTES
DAL: Jonathan Isaac (Ankle), Ivica Zubac (G-League)
OKC: Nikola Mirotic (Face), Ricky Rubio (Achilles), Nik Stauskas
(Ankle) DALLAS SCOUTING
REPORT
Rookie Isaac misses the week with an ankle complaint and the mystery of Zubac
being stuck in the G-League continues. Ennis will replace Isaac and while he doesn’t
produce much on the stat sheet, he does all the little things that every team
loves but stat geeks hate. The Mav’s get it done on all fronts and with a great
blend of team play and tough defense. 5 players average double figures in
points on this team with veteran Millsap leading the way with just under 17 a
game. What to watch for this week is Lonzo Ball. He had a hit in his ratings to
match his NBA play and it will be interesting to see how this translates to the
NLL. Either way, Dallas will go hard and would be looking forward to using this
game as a measuring stick and seeing just how close they really are. TEAM LEADERS DAL
PTS: Millsap (16.9)
REB: Noel (11.4)
AST: Ball (9.1) OKC
PTS: George (22.8)
REB: Jokic (10.3)
AST: Schroder (5.9) OKLAHOMA CITY
SCOUTING REPORT
Spanish maestro Ricky Rubio will miss this clash with an Achilles issue,
Mirotic is still nursing a bruised face (and ego) but the Thunder are so deep
it doesn’t really matter. How many teams can lose a starting PG and just go that’s
ok we’ll replace him another. Dennis Schroder gets his chance to
shine(finally!) and with other gm’s calling around the league to “play him or
trade him” we could see him push Ricky out of the door if he plays well enough.
The Thunder are just a monster. I mean spots 1-10, even with 2 key players missing,
they’re deep and even spots 11-13 they still have players that could get decent
sized minutes elsewhere. The Thunder as usual will look to play their game,
lockdown wing defense and dominate the key with the Joker. PREDICTION
I think this will be a
tight contest and the Mavs will give it everything they have, but I see the
Thunder just being too strong and taking out a 5-point win.
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