“We miss you hermano. Hopefully, at home, you’re happy man.” Kyrie Irving had a heartfelt message to give to Luka Doncic during the latter stage of November. After all, the injury sidelined the Slovenian after he developed a wrist issue, preventing him from competing against the Denver Nuggets. In fact, Doncic would miss 4 additional games before he could reunite with his teammate. Now, both scorers need to show up together. After all, the Dallas Mavericks are next set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, also known as the top-seeded Western Conference team. Fortunately, while nothing can be said about how they will perform, the duo has been given a green light on the injury front.

According to the Dallas Mavericks Injury Report, the names of neither Luka Doncic nor Kyrie Irving are present. This means that the ailments of both players continue to be behind them, making them available to take on Jalen Williams and Co.

Despite this, the Mavericks are not out of injury trouble completely. After all, the squad currently has not one but FIVE players listed on the report. Maxi Kleber, who had been most consistent with his appearances, recently missed the Mavericks-Raptors game due to an unspecified illness. The same will keep him out of the upcoming game, too. Naji Marshall will also be ‘OUT’ due to an illness, even though he already has missed the last 4 games. Jaden Hardy will miss his 2 consecutive game due to an ankle ailment, while Dante Exum, who hasn’t played even a single game this season, continues to recover from his right wrist ailment.

Luka Doncic’s 5-game absence from back in late November did not affect the Mavericks that much. In fact, his team lost only one game (Mavs vs. Heat). Much of the credit goes to Kyrie Irving, who took charge on the offensive front. However, after Doncic’s return, a shoulder injury sidelined Irving. Fortunately, the same didn’t last long, and the player was back after a 1-game absence. On a 7-game win streak now, the Mavericks have the chance to build on it by defeating the OKC. Furthermore, knowing that the upcoming game will also be the Quarter-Finals of the NBA Cup only further builds expectations.

Speaking of the Oklahoma City Thunder, not many changes have come on their injury report. Earlier, they had seven players listed. Now, they have six, with all of them in the ‘OUT’ category. Diagnosed with a right fourth metacarpal fracture, Adam Flagler will miss his 2 consecutive game. Furthermore, the team won’t reevaluate him again for at least another month. Chet Holmgren, whose injury coverage by two commentators was criticized by fans, also won’t play. The same goes for Jaylin Williams, Nikola Topic, Alex Ducas, and Ousmane Dieng too!

In light of these updates, both teams will have to make adjustments to their starting lineups.

What will be the starting lineup and depth chart for the Mavericks-OKC game?

Due to him only averaging 17 minutes per game, Maxi Kleber’s absence won’t have too big of an impact on the rotation. Earlier, it was reported that P.J. Washington and Quentin Grimes could cover for Kleber. However, with Washington’s status ‘Questionable’ due to illness, Grimes will have additional responsibility on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Jaden Hardy’s absence can allow Spencer Dinwiddie to see an uptick in playing time. Considering these updates, we can expect the starting lineup for the Dallas Mavericks to look something like this:

Similarly, given the updates for the Oklahoma City Thunder, their starting lineup can look something like this:

The Dallas Mavericks or the Oklahoma City Thunder? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.