The Oklahoma City Thunder took Game 1 in convincing fashion. Can the Dallas Mavericks respond?

Catch this game live on Wednesday, May 10th, at 9:30 AM, Manila time

AWAY: Dallas Mavericks (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

• Luka Doncic
• Kyrie Irving
• Derrick Jones Jr.
• P.J. Washington
• Daniel Gafford

After comfortably closing out the LA Clippers in Round 1, the Mavericks got smacked in the opening game of Round 2, 117-95. It seems like they simply weren’t ready for what the Thunder had in store. 

Luka Doncic only had 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, including five turnovers, earning him a game-worst -21 plus-minus. Kyrie Irving wasn’t any better as he was okay-at-best with 20 points, going 7-of-14 from the field. Both came in with momentum and laid an egg, which is a bit concerning. However, since they’re among the most talented players of all-time, such can also mean that we’ll see them come back with a raging vengeance for Game 3.

Daniel Gafford feasted on OKC with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks. He’s an X-Factor in this series as he can tower on the Thunder’s small lineup – we’ll see if the Mavs keep maximizing that. The other guys from the supporting cast ought to be better too, though, mainly PJ Washington , Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green.

HOME: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Josh Giddey
• Luguentz Dort
• Jalen Williams
• Chet Holmgren

The rampaging Thunder remain unbeaten in the 2024 playoffs after the Pelicans sweep and dominating Game 1 win over the Mavs. This is a young group filled with bravado, and it will continue to be a fun ride seeing them grow. They are also clicking on both ends, scoring 107.6 points per game and only allowing 90.6 across five postseason games thus far.

The usual guys powered OKC in drawing first blood vs. DAL. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 29 points on a full line of nine rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and two blocks. Chet Holmgren mirrored his teammate’s stat-stuffing performance by posting 19 / 7 / 1 / 2 / 3. Jalen Williams, meanwhile, had 18 / 5 / 5. Prepare to see more of those tomorrow.

Other starters Josh Giddey (2 pts, 17 mins) and Lu Dort (7 pts, 2/9 FGs, 2 stls) were quiet compared to the team’s Big 3, but they should be able to be more impactful moving forward.

PICKS:

Spread: Mavericks (+5)

Over/Under: Over (218.5)