Mavericks at Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue their quest for a playoff spot and they are sneaking up on seventh-place Dallas as they host the Mavericks on Wednesday. The eighth-place Thunder possess a 2 1/2-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans for the final spot in the Western Conference but have also moved within three games of Dallas. The Mavericks have lost back-to-back contests to fall off the pace in terms of making a run at sixth-place San Antonio.
Dallas has lost four of its last five games and will again be without injured guard Monta Ellis when it challenges the Thunder. Oklahoma City rallied from 20 points down to post a 109-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, marking the largest comeback since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The Thunder are in the midst of a 17-7 run despite not having the services of reigning MVP Kevin Durant (foot).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (45-29): Ellis (calf) will miss his second straight contest and a return date has yet to be pinpointed. Small forward Chandler Parsons stepped up in Sunday’s loss to Indiana with 27 points and 10 rebounds but he is prone to inconsistent efforts as he scored just nine points two nights earlier in a loss to the Spurs. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m going to average 27 and 10 and be MVP, but I believe in myself,” Parsons told reporters. “I think I can have big games like that, and I think I can do it more consistently when I have the opportunity.”
ABOUT THE THUNDER (42-32): Durant underwent bone graft surgery on Tuesday to repair his fractured right foot and will be sidelined four-to-six months. He had already been ruled out for the rest of the season and the surgery is the third on the foot in five months, beginning with the first operation in October and another one to replace a troublesome screw in February. Durant played in just 27 games this season as point guard Russell Westbrook assumed the starring role, and he has thrived in it as he leads the NBA in scoring (27.6) and ranks fourth (8.6) in assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Dallas is 2-1 against the Thunder this season and has won four of the past five meetings.
2. Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki is 14 points away from becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach 28,000 career points.
3. Westbrook drew his 15th technical foul of the season during the game against the Suns and his next one will earn him an automatic one-game suspension.