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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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Weather updates: Tornado emergency declared in western Oklahoma on Sunday

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Weather updates: Tornado emergency declared in western Oklahoma on Sunday


Severe weather capable of producing tornadoes and large hail moved through western Oklahoma Sunday night.

Storms began forming in western Oklahoma late Sunday afternoon and were expected to move closer to Oklahoma City between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.

The storms were capable of producing tornadoes, winds up to 80 mph and baseball-sized hail, according to the National Weather Service.

A tornado warning was issued at 8:12 p.m. for a storm that produced a tornado near Custer City. The warning was scheduled to expire at 9 p.m.

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The warning included areas near Hydro, Geary, Calumet and El Reno.

– Ryan Sharp

A tornado emergency was declared at 7:40 p.m. near Custer City, about 90 miles west of Oklahoma City.

While the tornado emergency was canceled shortly before 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said a tornado warning was still in effect.

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The storm was moving east at 25-30 mph, but was expected to weaken as it approached Interstate 35 in the Oklahoma City area.

– Ryan Sharp

National Weather Service updates

Weather alerts: Tornado watch, tornado warnings issued

What to do when there’s a tornado watch

Be prepared — tornadoes are possible in and around the area mentioned in the watch. Be ready to act quickly.

NWS:How to prepare for a tornado

What to do when there’s a tornado warning

Take action now. A warning means someone saw a tornado or one was indicated by weather radar. Under a tornado warning, there’s imminent danger to life and property. Everyone should move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows.

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Sunday Offering: Oklahoma in the Mix for Trio of 4-star 2025 Prospects

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Sunday Offering: Oklahoma in the Mix for Trio of 4-star 2025 Prospects


Despite a quiet week for Oklahoma, the Sooners made solid headway on the recruiting trail in the 2025 recruiting class recently.

With 15 players already committed in the upcoming cycle and three more 2025 prospects announcing their top schools in the past few days, OU has the potential to build on what already has the makings of another tremendous recruiting class.

Brent Venables and company also extended offers to five high school prospects this week, rounding out what was otherwise a calm stretch for Oklahoma, who has landed six commitments since the end of March and have the top-ranked 2025 recruting class in the SEC and the No. class in the nation so far, according to 247 Sports.

Here is a recap of all the Sooners’ recent recruiting news.

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On Monday, 4-star Mesquite Horn (TX) offensive lineman Lamont Rogers announced his Top 8 schools.

Rogers, who visited Norman in the fall, included OU, Missouri, SMU, Texas, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M in his list.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds, Rogers is a standout on the basketball court as well. With great size and good footwork from his time on the hardwood, it is easy to see why college coaches are so enamored with the Dallas-area product’s skill set.

According to Rivals, Rogers is the No. 75 overall prospect and No. 8 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class. The Jaguars’ star o-lineman is slated to take an official visit to Oklahoma in late June and would be a massive addition to Bill Bedenbaugh’s group in the upcoming cycle.

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If Rogers does end up committing to OU, he would join 4-star Bridgeland (TX) offensive tackle Ryan Fodje and 3-star Melissa (TX) interior offensive lineman Owen Hollenbeck in the Sooners’ 2025 class.

The same day, 4-star Bergen Catholic (NJ) wide receiver Quincy Porter announced his top six schools, with OU, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Michigan, Penn State and Alabama making the cut.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Porter is rated the No. 31 overall prospect and No. 5 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class according to On3. The star playmaker visited Norman last month and would add to what is already a solid group in 4-star wide receiver duo Gracen Harris and Elijah Thomas as well as 4-star quarterback Kevin Sperry.

Rounding out the trio of prospects who included the Sooners in their top schools this week was 4-star defensive back Major Preston Jr., who announced his top six schools on Saturday.

Alongside Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Colorado, Florida and Mississippi made the cut for Preston Jr. Listed at 6-foot-2, the 4-star DB has the versatility to fill multiple roles at the next level, but is being recruited to play cornerback for the Sooners and is set to announce his decision on July 1.

If Jay Valai and company are able to land a pledge from Preston Jr., the IMG Academy (FL) product would join 4-star cornerback duo Maliek Hawkins and Courtland Guillory in Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting class.

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OU also extended scholarship offers to five high school prospects this week, starting with IMG Academy (FL) offensive lineman G’Nivre Carr.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 336 pounds, Carr is rated the No. 256 overall prospect and No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

On Monday, the Sooners offered 4-star Bethel (WA) linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. Rainey-Sale was previously committed to Washington, but decommitted from the Huskies in January.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Rainey-Sale is rated the No. 111 overall prospect and No. 15 linebacker in the 2025 class, per 247Sports. Hailing from Spanaway, WA, the 4-star prospect is from the same town as former Sooners’ defensive back Jasiah Wagoner.

On Tuesday, Bedenbaugh and company offered 4-star East Ascension (LA) offensive lineman Brysten Martinez. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, Martinez is rated the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 4 offensive tackle in the 2026 cycle.

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Later that day, OU offered 3-star 2026 Liberty (AZ) linebacker Hudson Dunn. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Dunn is rated one of the top five players in Arizona, according to 247Sports.

The Peoria, AZ, product also runs the 100-meter dash in track and has ideal speed for a linebacker in Venables’ defense, similar to the on-field role and physical frame of a player like Kip Lewis.

Oklahoma also offered 4-star 2025 Narbonne (CA) linebacker Mark Iheanachor on Tuesday.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Iheanachor was in Norman for OU’s spring game and also holds offers from Clemson, Georgia, Washington and other high-level programs.





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OU Softball: Oklahoma’s Pitching Gives 2-seeded Sooners the Edge in Regional Final Rematch

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OU Softball: Oklahoma’s Pitching Gives 2-seeded Sooners the Edge in Regional Final Rematch


NORMAN — Offense has been to hard to come by against Oklahoma’s starting pitching. 

Nicole May and Kelly Maxwell have dominated their respective starts in Norman Regional action at Love’s Field. 

May struck out nine against Cleveland State in five innings on Friday, and Maxwell rallied from allowing a first inning home run to completely shut down Oregon on Saturday. 

The OU left-hander retired the last 16 batters she faced, striking out eight and allowing only one baserunner after going down 1-0.

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Supported by strong offensive showings, Patty Gasso’s pitching staff has her 2-seeded Sooners one win away from reaching a Super Regional for the 14th-straight tournament. 

Oklahoma will take on Oregon again, who has to beat the hosts twice on Sunday to stun the softball world and dash OU’s hopes of winning a fourth-straight national title. 

Sophomore left-hander Kierston Deal has yet to appear for the Sooners this weekend, meaning Sunday’s 2 p.m. battle with the Ducks could the the perfect time to make her 2024 NCAA Tournament debut. 

Deal is tied with May for second on the team in appearances this year (21), but leads the Sooners with a 1.62 ERA. 

When: Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where: Love’s Field
Channel: ESPN+

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She’s holding opponents to a .162 batting average, and has struck out 64 batters while surrendering 12 walks in 69 innings of action. 

Last year, Deal pitched four total innings in four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. She allowed no hits, firing four strikeouts and allowing one walk. 

Deal pitched two of her innings in regional action, 1 2/3 innings against Clemson in the Norman Super Regional, and she recorded one out against Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series. 

A key to Maxwell’s excellent outing on Saturday was shutting down Oregon’s leadoff hitter, Kai Luschar

The left fielder went 0-for-3 against Maxwell with a strikeout as OU brought Jayda Coleman into the infield to ensure no choppers made it into the outfield. 

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“She is the party starter there and it is important for us to keep her off the basepaths,” Gasso said on Saturday. “First pitch, she’s going to steal. She leads the Pac 12 in stolen bases and I think their team does as well. So it was really important for us to plug up those holds and see what we could do with that.”

If Deal gets the call, she’ll have plenty of support from her offense. 

The Sooners got a peek at four different Oregon pitchers on Saturday, including Morgan Scott and Elise Sokolsky

And should the Ducks pull the upset at 2 p.m., OU will have another chance at 4:30 p.m. to continue its march back to Oklahoma City. 



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