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3 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder

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3 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder


The Dallas Mavericks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals Thursday night at Paycom Center. The Mavericks will be looking to even the series after losing Game 1. They’ll need to win a game in Oklahoma City to win the series, so it might as well be Game 2.

Dallas looked a little off as Game 1 went on Tuesday night. It was easy to tell the Thunder had been sitting around waiting for their next opponent, developing some rust. The Mavericks, meanwhile, showed some carry-over rhythm from their series against the Los Angeles Clippers. But eventually the Thunder found their footing and showed why they’re the number one seed. The Mavericks will have to play a solid 48 minutes in order to escape down I-35 with a victory Thursday night.

Here are three things to think about before the game:

Rebound, just a little, please

The Mavericks were out-rebounded by the Thunder 52-39, and 16-11 on the offensive glass. That led to a 25-15 OKC advantage on second-chance points. That just can’t happen against Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished the regular season 29th in defensive rebounding rate. They tightened things up after the all-star break, finishing 12th in that span. But the Mavericks are bigger and longer, and have more experience. They should be winning the rebounding battle, or at the very least, be even with the Thunder. Giving a team like Oklahoma City more possessions is dangerous, considering their shooting ability.

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Doncic and Irving must be better

Your instinct might be to defend the Mavericks’ star backcourt duo. “They carry this team night after night, why can’t someone else step up when they have an off game?”

But that’s not how the Mavericks are built. Dallas can get away with offensively limited but defensively oriented role players like P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dereck Lively II because Doncic and Irving can more than carry the load on offense. The Mavericks don’t need their role players to get buckets—the two superstars take care of that. But if they don’t, Dallas just doesn’t have another option to create offense. Doncic and Irving combining for less than forty points, like they did in Game 1, is just a recipe for disaster.

Make free throws, I’m begging you

The Mavericks went 17-of-25 from the charity stripe in Game 1, 68 percent. That didn’t matter for the final score, but this series won’t be a parade of blowouts. There will be close games. Dallas can’t take the risk of coming a free throw or two short against a team as talented as the Thunder. For whatever reason, free throw shooting has been an issue for the Mavericks for the last few years. They’ve got to get that figured out, before it costs them a close game at the absolute worst time.

How to watch

The game tips off 8:30 p.m. CDT on ESPN.



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Staff predictions: Our picks for No. 7 Alabama at Oklahoma

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Staff predictions: Our picks for No. 7 Alabama at Oklahoma


After falling twice away from home already this season, No. 7 Alabama will look to avoid a potential trap game in its final road trip of the regular season. The Crimson Tide (8-2, 5-2 in the SEC) will visit Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5) for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

This will be the seventh matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma. The Sooners hold a 3-2-1 advantage in the series, but the Tide won the most recent meeting, recording a 45-34 victory in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Alabama is currently a 14-point favorite for Saturday’s game, according to the Caesars Sportsbook.

Here’s how Tide Illustrated’s staff thinks the game will play out.



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Oklahoma State Offers 2026 Bixby DB Braeden Presley

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Oklahoma State Offers 2026 Bixby DB Braeden Presley


The stark reality of the Cowboys future on the gridiron is up in the air.  Can Oklahoma State bounce back in 2025 following one of the worst football seasons in years?  Will the Pokes return next season and play with a chip on their shoulder?  Only time will tell and the best way to improve the football team is for the coaching staff to hit the recruiting trail hard.

Oklahoma State will say goodbye to one of the greatest statistical wide receivers to ever wear the Cowboy orange.  Senior Brennan Presley has been the cornerstone of the receiving core for the past four seasons.  He is the all-time receptions leader in Oklahoma State history and has caught more than two passes in nearly every game since his sophomore season.

The offense won’t be the same in 2025 with Presley snagging catches across the middle, but the fans of Cowboy football won’t have to wait long as a familiar name will be entering the mix straight out of the class of 2026.

On Thursday, Oklahoma State looked to make it the Presley trifecta when they offered the youngest of the bunch, 2026 Bixby star Braeden Presley.  Older brothers Brennan and Braylin both committed to Oklahoma State out of high school.  Brennan hung around to become the all-time receptions leader in school history while Braylin transferred to Tulsa.

Braeden is the biggest brother of the bunch and measures in at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, according to 247Sports.  He is unranked at the moment but still has a full season of football yet to play.  The interest continues to grow for Braeden who has drawn offers from Tulsa, Boston College and Kansas.

Oklahoma State joined the mix on Thursday and is hoping to use its family ties to lock up their third straight Presley.  Little is known about Presley on the field, and he has proven this season that he is a jack of all trades.  He has logged a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and passing touchdown this season for the Spartans of Bixby.

A majority of his highlights have come on the defensive side of the football.  He has 27 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble in 2024 for a Bixby team who is searching for yet another Class 5A State Championship.

The fans of Oklahoma State football may not have to wait very long to have a Presley once again under the lights of Boone Pickens Stadium.

Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.





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Miami Basketball: Canes drop second straight game to Oklahoma State 80-74

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Miami Basketball: Canes drop second straight game to Oklahoma State 80-74


CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1), 80-74, Friday afternoon at TD Arena in the Hurricanes’ (3-2) second game of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.

Down 17 with five minutes to play in the game, the Hurricanes connected on seven of their final ten shots to pull to within six of the Cowboys, but time ultimately ran out on Miami’s comeback.

Guard Nijel Pack recorded his second 20-point game of the season, totaling 20 points to lead the Hurricanes in scoring.

Forward Brandon Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season with 12 points and ten rebounds, pacing the Hurricanes’ on the glass.

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Oklahoma State took control early, opening the game on a 9-0 run. Miami cut the lead to three thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Blackmon and Pack, but the Cowboys responded with a 7-0 run to extend their lead to double-digits, 20-10, with 10 minutes to play in the first half.

The Cowboys shot 53.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half, increasing their lead to 16, 43-37, at the halftime break.

Oklahoma State took its largest lead of the game, 51-31, at the 14:35 mark in the second half, but Miami responded with an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 13 at the midway point of the frame.

The Hurricanes shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half, and four Miami players scored eight-plus points in the final 20 minutes of play, but they could not complete the comeback.

On Sunday, Miami will play VCU or Nevada at 12:30 p.m. ET at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.

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Courtesy of Miami Athletics



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