Oklahoma City Thunder 2024-25 Season

[Laramie]

Dallas Mavericks 121 @ Oklahoma City Thunder 115



Box score https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705191

Attendance: 18,203

[Sirsteve]

I was thinking the same thing. If they get healthy and we have to face them in the playoffs it could be an early exit. It's frustrating that we struggle against them.

[Laramie]

Sunday, January 26, 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder 36-8 @ Portland Trailblazers 16-28
Moda Center, Portland
TV: FanDuel Sports Oklahoma - 5:00 PM

[gjl]

Losing to the Mavs without Luka is even more frustrating. I think I would rather see them lose to any other team besides the Mavs. It has to be frustrating for the Thunder too especially as good as they are this year. Not a good look for Dort tonight either.

[Sirsteve]

Just had a funny thought cross my mind. We are regarded as one the best teams or the best team in the NBA but we're not better than dallas....that's a hard pill to swallow....lol

[kukblue1]

All 4 games have been so wildly different personal wise that you can't take much away from any of the games. Yes we Lost 3 times too them when they didn't have Luka. We also didn't have I-hart, Chet. Dallas does create match up problems for us but we beat them regular season last year 3-1 how did that turn out for us in the playoffs. It happens often in the NBA a team will win the regular season 4-0 or 3-1 and than lose to that team in the playoffs. You sometime can't take much from regular season games. Heck the Lakers blew out Celtics tonight. Should Boston be worried. Atlanta beat the Cavs twice this season should they be worried. Nah

Look at the 4th Qtr tonight. No Luka, No Lively, No Thompson, No Naz Reed. No Chet, No I-Hart, No Dort, No Wallace (hurt) You going to see a totally different set of players come playoff time

[G.Walker]

for whatever reason, we don't match up well with the Mavs. They have handed us our only 2 losses in the last 15 games, besides the one to the Cavs. Games like this we really miss Chet and iHart.

[Anonymous.]

PJ Washington getting nearly 20 rebounds is going to be like that.

Also why is Dort suddenly going down Draymond path? He needs to get back in his lane, if I am being honest. He has been in some recent dust-ups a little too eagerly.

I want the Mavs in round 1. Full health both sides, their fans are insufferable and the rivalry is real.

[OKCRealtor]

We don't want the Mavs in the playoffs even if we are at full health, regardless of the lineups & matchups going back to playoffs last year they are better than us head to head for some reason. They just beat us without Luka + other significant injuries again and controlled the game. If Mavs are healthy we could very easily get bounced early and there are zero guarantees Thunder will be healthy either (we haven't been yet all year).

If the Mavs get healthy I fully expect them to make another deep playoff run & hope it's not at our expense. They are still the team to beat at least for us as far as I'm concerned.

[PhiAlpha]

We don't want the Mavs in the playoffs even if we are at full health, regardless of the lineups & matchups going back to playoffs last year they are better than us head to head for some reason. They just beat us without Luka + other significant injuries again and controlled the game. If Mavs are healthy we could very easily get bounced early and there are zero guarantees Thunder will be healthy either (we haven't been yet all year).

If the Mavs get healthy I fully expect them to make another deep playoff run & hope it's not at our expense. They are still the team to beat at least for us as far as I'm concerned.

In the one game that we played them with a healthy big, we won by 14. We picked up iHart specifically because of how the Dallas series went last year. Even with Luka out, we just aren’t going to beat them missing iHart, Chet, Joe and Mitchell to start and then losing Dort and Wallace down the stretch. Dillon Jones played in crunch time last night. Also last week we played them without SGA and without him we have one of the worst offensive ratings in the league. At full strength, I think we win that series in 5-6 though I’d rather play any other team in the west.

[OKCRealtor]

In the one game that we played them with a healthy big, we won by 14. We picked up iHart specifically because of how the Dallas series went last year. Even with Luka out, we just aren’t going to beat them missing iHart, Chet, Joe and Mitchell to start and then losing Dort and Wallace down the stretch. Dillon Jones played in crunch time last night. Also last week we played them without SGA and without him we have one of the worst offensive ratings in the league. At full strength, I think we win that series in 5-6 though I’d rather play any other team in the west.

Still they beat us without Luka while we couldn't hang without SGA of course. Luka + Kyrie healthy will be a nightmare again with their bigs if everyone healthy. Even at full strength I have my doubts until we prove we can get over the hump with them. I realize we picked up Ihart because of Dallas series last year and he's a great fit but still no guarantees. PJ Washington plays at an all NBA level against us as well for some reason and they can space the floor/shoot.

I'm not saying we aren't capable of beating them but for now I would put us as underdogs again in a playoff series regardless of the matchups. Last 10 games now between the teams the mavs are 7-3 against us and have in large part controlled those games with us struggling to catch them.

[Anonymous.]

Once again Mark went with doubling Kyrie late in the game, which left Grimes (x2), Kleber, and Washington wide open for a 3. This is what killed all the momentum at the end.

I don't understand why coach insists on doubling Kyrie/Luka. I feel like between all of the games in the last 2 seasons with them, the data shows to stay man-to-man.

[PhiAlpha]

Once again Mark went with doubling Kyrie late in the game, which left Grimes (x2), Kleber, and Washington wide open for a 3. This is what killed all the momentum at the end.

I don't understand why coach insists on doubling Kyrie/Luka. I feel like between all of the games in the last 2 seasons with them, the data shows to stay man-to-man.

Last night it likely had to do with Dort and Wallace being out in the 4th quarter.

[kukblue1]

Deep breaths everybody they beat us by two points 8 points and six points it's not like they're blowing us out in games without our bigs. The one time when almost everybody played on both sides we won by 14. This was our fifth game in eight nights. January schedule has been pretty packed. I just kind of feel we're hitting a little bit of a January wall this week coming up we only play two games so I think the rest is going to help.

[Anonymous.]

Oh definitely. This is the best OKC team ever, and post-ASB is going to be incredible.

[Dob Hooligan]

Deep breaths everybody they beat us by two points 8 points and six points it's not like they're blowing us out in games without our bigs. The one time when almost everybody played on both sides we won by 14. This was our fifth game in eight nights. January schedule has been pretty packed. I just kind of feel we're hitting a little bit of a January wall this week coming up we only play two games so I think the rest is going to help.

Agree. I think we're just sandbagging the Mavs for the playoffs.

[dankrutka]

The Mavs size is what really hurt OKC in last year's playoff series. So, we went out and picked up iHart. In the only game he played against the Mavs, we won. The Mavs do match up well with us because of their size across the board, but if we're healthy, we're a completely different team. I, for one, would love to see the Mavs in the playoffs. I have come to hate the Mavs and they really hate Dort.

[kukblue1]

Well with this logic of they beat us 3-1 we won't even see them in the playoffs if Houston is 2 seed and Dallas is 3 seed. Houston has already beat them twice. Once Dallas fully healthy and the other time only Luka was out. So see nothing to worry about. Mavs lost 3-1 to Denver. So if that is the 4/5 match up they have no shot right? SMH

[Dob Hooligan]

I don't want a Dallas rivalry. I don't want any kind of "big brother-little brother" rivalry. I want to get away from the Texoma rivals. I would prefer to rival west of Denver, TBH.

[Libbymin]

I’m not getting too worked up over our losses to them. We still have not seen iHart and Chet at the same time in our lineup during the regular season. Once we get everyone healthy, I think we will be fine against teams like the Mavs.

[Laramie]

Most NBA rivalries have more to do with close proximity pairings. Especially when the demographics are ripe; regardless of an NBA large market vs. small market. Oklahoma City
is the closest NBA market to Dallas. Closer than their Texas in-state rivals San Antonio and Houston.

[gjl]

That still has Charlotte as Bobcats, not Hornets.

[Laramie]

That still has Charlotte as Bobcats, not Hornets.

Sorry, but it's an outdated MAP. My purpose for the MAP was to draw attention to the driving distances between

Dallas to Oklahoma City = 206 miles
Dallas to Houston = 239
Dallas to San Antonio = 273

Dallas is closer to OKC than any of its Texas' counterparts.

[kukblue1]

I-hart is back for tomorrow vs Portland. Dort is out. Wallace has a broken nose. I think it was called something else I don't remember now. Oh it's a nasal fracture.

[Laramie]

I-hart is back for tomorrow vs Portland. Dort is out. Wallace has a broken nose. I think it was called something else I don't remember now. Oh it's a nasal fracture.

and

Return of the Isaiah Bluebloods . . .
. . . will be a thorn in the Rose City's side.