Vitals: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks

Originally Published: Nov 24, 2010 11:8 AM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

Dallas Mavericks (8-4) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (10-4)
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 7 p.m. CST
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Game 15 of 82

Anticipated Starting Lineups

Injury Report:

Dallas Mavericks: G Rodrique Beaubois (fractured foot, out).
Oklahoma City: None Reported

Where to find it:
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: Thunder Radio Network

What you need to know...

The Mavericks are coming off of two scary games – having to hold off a late push by the Atlanta Hawks and a fourth-quarter comeback to top Detroit. In the two contests before those, the Mavericks fell to young, athletic squads, the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Hornets. Dallas allowed 42 points in those two games to their opponents slashing point guards – 22 to Derrick Rose and 20 to Chris Paul. Look for the Mavs to try to lock down the Thunder’s quick back court.

Oklahoma City is riding high and having great success in the still young season. After winning two games without the talents of stars Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, the Thunder topped Minnesota Timberwolves in the first of two back-to-back home games. In Oklahoma City’s last two meetings against the Mavericks – two meetings that took place last season – the Thunder by a combined 18 points. Over the last five games, Oklahoma City has been able to get its wins whatever way it needed to, whether it was relying on offense or defense. In two matchups, the Thunder held opponents to less than 90 points, while in the other three it was able to top 115 points.

Who to watch...

When the Dallas Mavericks are on the court, the guy to watch is power forward Dirk Nowitzki. He is a matchup nightmare, with the size to overpower smaller defenders and the speed and shooting ability to take advantage of bigger and slower defenders. Jason Kidd continues to be a timeless wonder, averaging nearly 10 assists per game, while knocking down at least one three pointer in all but one game this season.

Point guard Russell Westbrook continues to develop into one of the league’s premier point guards. The 22-year old averages 23.2 points per game this season, 10th overall in the league and second among point guards, while dishing out 8.2 assists per contest, which is ninth in the league. Green is still trying to find his stride this season. Playing in just seven contests, the third-year forward is averaging 19 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.