OKLAHOMA CITY – And so we meet again.

It seems like the Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder have been playing each other on a weekly basis for the past few seasons. This is what happens when you see a team in the playoffs after playing them three or four times in the regular season.

This will be the second meeting of the season as the teams meet in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Cup Nights tournament. The winner travels to the semi-finals of the cup in Las Vegas.

The loser will have another game added, likely against Golden State or Houston, whichever loses in the other Western Conference quarterfinal game.

But the point is that these two teams have no secrets between each other.

“We continue to see them, so it’s going to bring that competition,” Dereck Lively II said. “We have to do our best. They are a team coming at us. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes will be the winner.”

The Thunder have designed themselves as a kind of Mavericks starter set. They have a superstar and depth in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They have already (so far) overcome the loss of center Chet Holmgren, who is out with a hip injury and is expected to be out until February.

Still, they have the best record in the West at 18-5. They are building heavily on their second-round playoff exit last spring against the Mavericks, who won the series four games to two.

And the Thunder are much different than the team the Mavericks beat 121-119 in OKC on Nov. 17. The Thunder team was severely undermanned, especially in the middle. But now Isaiah Hartenstein has returned, as has swingman Alex Caruso, one of the best defenders on the team with the best defensive rating in the NBA.

The Thunder also force more turnovers than anyone else and commit fewer than anyone else.

“They will be healthy if you talk about Hartenstein and also AC back,” said coach Jason Kidd. “They have a big (guy) who will be on the team who will rebound and block shots. We’ll see what they look like.

“They do a great job with small balls, active hands, passing lanes and when you drive them, they wipe. “We have to protect the ball. We’re twisting the ball a little too much at the moment. To find a way to win, we have to protect the ball, especially against them.”

Here’s what else to look for when the Mavericks and Thunder meet:

• The Mavericks are in a stretch where at least six players have scored 10 or more points in 10 of their last 11 games. And 10 different players contributed to this sense of wealth distribution. “It’s a nice weapon when you don’t have to rely on Luka and Kai being the guys to score 30 or 40 points every night,” Kidd said. “If you spread it out, it can be anyone, and that’s the truth. “Guys coming off the bench can get you 10-plus points a night, and that’s something we need and will have We can continue to have confidence in our two quarterbacks to carry the load.” Daniel Gafford, Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy are among the Mavericks who have made big contributions off the bench. “It shows us we’re a great team,” Lively said. “If you have a break that night, you can count on your teammates to pick you up.”
• The Mavericks have won seven in a row and 11 of 12. The Thunder aren’t much off that pace, having won three in a row and seven of eight.
• Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder with 29.8 points per game, slightly more than Luka Dončić’s 28.7. Jalen Williams has increased to 22 points per game this season and Hartenstein is managing 12.5 rebounds per game.
• The Mavericks will be without Jaden Hardy (right ankle) and Maxi Kleber (due to illness). It’s questionable whether PJ Washington and Naji Marshall are suffering from the same illness that has been making the rounds in the locker room.

MAVERICKS (16-8) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (18-5)

WHEN: 8:30 p.m., Tuesday.

WHERE: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream, TNT

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko