Injury-Plagued Mavericks Face Western Conference Leaders Thunder

DALLAS, Texas — The Dallas Mavericks will host the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday evening at the American Airlines Center, facing an uphill battle with multiple key players sidelined due to injuries. The Thunder, tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s best record, enter the game with a seven-game lead in the conference.

The Mavericks will be without star guard Luka Doncic, who continues to recover from a calf strain sustained on Christmas Day. Reports suggest Doncic is weeks away from returning, though the team remains optimistic he will be back before the All-Star break in mid-February. Dante Exum is also unavailable as he recovers from preseason wrist surgery.

Kyrie Irving, who has been battling back issues, missed six of the last seven games but returned to play against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. However, he sat out Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and is listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup. Rookie center Dereck Lively II has been ruled out with a sprained ankle suffered during Tuesday’s game against the Nuggets. Head coach Jason Kidd does not expect Lively to be sidelined long-term, but he will miss the Thunder game.

The Thunder, coming off the second night of a back-to-back, have yet to submit their injury report for Friday’s game. However, they are already without Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, who are sidelined indefinitely. Ajay Mitchell also missed Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite their injury woes, the Mavericks remain focused on staying competitive in a challenging Western Conference. The Thunder, meanwhile, aim to extend their dominance and solidify their position as the league’s top team.