Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: TV Schedule, Spread Info and More

The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder conclude their home-and-home preseason slate on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City won the first meeting, 106-92, thanks to strong games from Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Listen: KESN 103.3 FM (Dallas) or WWLS 640 AM (Oklahoma City)

Betting Line: Thunder -6

Key Injuries

Mavericks: G Jason Terry (out with illness, probable for start of regular season)

Thunder: No injuries to report.

What's At Stake?

Rick Carlisle and Scott Brooks would probably both tell you the most important thing about tonight's game is avoiding injuries. Since the preseason is so short, there isn't a lot of time to make progress, so every team will start the regular season a bit sluggish.

Despite winning the NBA Championship in June, the Mavericks are flying under the radar heading into this season because of high-profile additions made by other teams. On the flip side, the Thunder are one of the league's up-and-coming teams and will make some noise come playoff time.

What They're Saying

Jason Terry wasn't feeling well before yesterday's practice, and the workout didn't help his cause. According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, the guard was taken to see a team doctor and didn't make the trip to Oklahoma City.

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It was not known what Terry's ailment was, but several team officials said the veteran guard saw the doctor and was resting comfortably at his house when the team left Monday afternoon for their second and final preseason game.

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Expectations in Oklahoma City are high heading into the season, as evidenced by the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel, who recently penned a season outlook column. He states that if the Thunder want to keep up under the new labor agreement, they're going to need a little bit of everything.

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Judicious spending. Superb scouting. Positive franchise atmosphere. And then a little luck never hurts while fighting the good fight.

It's not impossible. Heck, with this current Thunder team, not even improbable. The Thunder is as good a pick as any to win the West and take its chances against the likes of Miami or Chicago in the NBA Finals.

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Mavericks Player to Watch: F Lamar Odom

Odom arrives from the Los Angeles Lakers and will serve as a backup for Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion. While it's still unclear why the Lakers were seemingly desperate to rid themselves of the veteran, he'll fit in nicely with the Mavericks.

He scored 14 points and grabbed seven boards in the first game with Nowitzki sitting out to rest up for the condensed schedule.

Thunder Player to Watch: F Kevin Durant

Who else? Durant is one of the handful of players that will lead the NBA for the next decade. There was a lot made about his thin frame, but it hasn't stopped him from filling up the stat sheet in his first four years.

He dropped 21 points in just 23 minutes the first time around. He will play limited minutes again tonight, so catch him while you can.

Key Matchup: Jason Kidd vs. Russell Westbrook

If Oklahoma City is going to emerge from a playoff series against Dallas or another superpower, Westbrook will need to use his quickness advantage. Few point guards in the league can contain him when he's clicking on all cylinders; now, it's just about adding more consistency to the mix.

Prediction

Thunder 98, Mavericks 94