Who’s playing
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Dallas Mavericks
Current records: Oklahoma City 34-6, Dallas 22-19
How to watch
- When: Friday January 17, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Or: American Airlines Center – Dallas, Texas
- TV: Fan Duel SN – Oklahoma
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $45.00
What you need to know
The Mavericks will be in front of their home fans Friday, but a look at the seeding shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:30 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks enter the game hobbled by three straight losses, while the Thunder will enter the game buoyed by four straight wins.
The Mavericks will enter Wednesday’s game ready to turn things around: They couldn’t beat the Pelicans on Wednesday, but the three-point deficit was a huge improvement from the 19-point loss they suffered on Tuesday. The Mavericks fell just short of the Pelicans by a score of 119-116. For those watching at home, this is the closest loss Dallas has suffered since November 14, 2024.
Daniel Gafford had a good effort for the losing team, notching a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. He’s going in the right direction considering he’s improved his point production for three straight games.
Meanwhile, the Thunder made easy work of the Cavaliers on Thursday and cruised to a 134-114 victory. Oddsmakers were on Oklahoma City’s side, but they didn’t give the team enough credit because the spread was surprisingly wide.
It was another big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who made 17 of 26 on his way to 40 points plus eight assists and two steals. His night makes it ten straight games in which he scored at least 30 points. Another player who made the difference was Jalen Williams, who went 8 of 14 en route to 19 points plus six rebounds and five assists.
Dallas’ loss dropped its record to 22-19. As for Oklahoma City, they have performed incredibly well recently as they have won 19 of their last 20 matchups, which has resulted in a nice improvement to their 34-6 record this season.
Things could have been worse for the Mavericks, but things could have been a lot better as they suffered a 118-104 loss to the Thunder in their previous meeting in December 2024. A big factor in that loss was performance dominance from Gilgeous-Alexander, who made 15 of 23 en route to 39 points plus eight rebounds and five assists. Back with a vengeance, will the Mavericks be able to stop him this time? Check CBSSports.com after the game to find out.
Odds
Oklahoma City is a big 8-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Thunder, as the game opened with the Thunder as a 6.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 223.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Dallas and Oklahoma City both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- December 10, 2024 – Oklahoma City 118 against. Dallas 104
- November 17, 2024 – Dallas 121 vs. Oklahoma City 119
- May 18, 2024 – Dallas 117 vs. Oklahoma City 116
- May 15, 2024 – Dallas 104 vs. Oklahoma City 92
- May 13, 2024 – Oklahoma City 100 vs. Dallas 96
- May 11, 2024 – Dallas 105 vs. Oklahoma City 101
- May 9, 2024 – Dallas 119 vs. Oklahoma City 110
- May 7, 2024 – Oklahoma City 117 vs. Dallas 95
- April 14, 2024 – Oklahoma City 135 against. Dallas 86
- March 14, 2024 – Oklahoma City 126 against. Dallas 119
