Vitals: Mavericks at Thunder

The Thunder try to bounce back after two back-to-back losses as they host the Dallas Mavericks.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:23 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Dec 16, 2009 4:16 PM CDT

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

Dallas Mavericks (18-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (12-11)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 8:00 p.m. CST
Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Game 24 of 82

Anticipated Starting Lineups

	Oklahoma City (Home)	Dallas (Away)
PG	Russell Westbrook 16.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.8 APG	Jason Kidd 8.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 9.1 APG
SG	Thabo Sefolosha 6.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.9 APG	J.J. Barea 9.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 9.1 APG
SF	Kevin Durant 28.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.1 APG	Shawn Marion 11.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 APG
PF	Jeff Green 15.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 APG	Dirk Nowitzki 26.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.8 APG
C	Nenad Krstic 8.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.6 APG	Erick Dampier 8.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 0.3 APG

Injuries
Oklahoma City: G/F, Kyle Weaver (shoulder, out); G, Kevin Ollie (knee, out).
Dallas: No injuries reported.

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

What you need to know?
The Mavericks visit Oklahoma City with a 9-4 record on the road. They’ve won their last four games, including a win over New Orleans Monday, despite a season-high 23 turnovers and a season-low 10 points from Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs’ J.J. Barea came through under pressure and scored a season-high 23 points.

The Thunder is coming off a three-game losing streak in which it averaged less than 90 points a game. The team will be playing its third game in four days and may have to deal with fatigue. Despite that, Kevin Durant has been hot lately, scoring an average of 28.5 points per game.

Who to Watch:
Although the Nowitzki scored only 10 points against the Hornets, the forward has posted an average of 26.6 a game this season. He’s shooting 46 percent from the field and hitting over 88 percent of his shots at the free throw line.

Barea will also be an offensive threat against the Thunder. The six-foot point guard helped carry the Mavs out of a disappointing performance against the Hornets. While the team turned the ball over 23 times, Barea was able to score a season-high 23 points to help earn a win for Dallas.

Durant is spinning his wheels at times, while the Thunder keeps coming up short in close games. He’s averaging 28.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. Durant is leading the NBA in scoring in the month of December. Russell Westbrook came through for Oklahoma City Friday to help the team come back against Memphis. He scored 23 points while recording seven assists and six rebounds. The team is still 3-3 this month.