TULSA, Okla., Sporting Alert – The Oklahoma City Thunder return to preseason action Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
ESPN Live Scoreboard Will Provide Updated Scores and GameCast. Live TV Coverage Will Be On Fox Sports Oklahoma.
It will be the third game of the preseason for the Thunder (2-0), who have already knocked off Minnesota and Turkish side Fenerbahce in its opening two warmups.
Kevin Durant will continue his comeback from a leg injury in Tuesday’s game and head coach Billy Donovan is expected to keep the forwards minutes at around the 25 minute mark, as he continues to work his way back to game fitness.
In his first game back on his home floor, Durant scored 13 points and dished out four assists in 22 minutes against Fenerbahce.
Besides a few soreness here-and-there, which is understandable, seeing that he’s been out of game speed action for eight months, the 27-year-old said he is feeling pretty good in his return.
In fact, Durant is confident that he’s back to full healing and will be ready for another long season.
He went 6 of 10 on shooting against Fenerbahce three days ago, while, in the NBA preseason opener against the Wolves, the eight-year pro scored 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting in 22 minutes.
Heading into Tuesday night’s friendly battle, All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook is averaging 15 points and nine assists from the first two games for Oklahoma City.
Westbrook came close to registering a triple-double in just 22 minutes against the Timberwolves after finishing with 14 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds. He scored 16 points, five assists and three steals the last time out against Fenerbahce.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks (0-2) are still searching for its first win of the preseason after dropping the openers against the Rockets and the Nuggets.
Forward Dirk Nowitzki and guard Deron Williams, who missed most of training camp while trying to take care of injuries, scrimmaged last Friday, but it is still unsure whether the pair will be involved against the Thunder.
Nowitzki admitted to feeling a bit tired during the scrimmage, but he would be happy to get a few minutes under his belt in Tulsa.
John Jenkins, who scored 19 and 16 points in the last two preseason games, is leading the Mavs with 17.5 points per game in the 2015 preseason schedules.
Charlie Villanueva is averaging seven rebounds through two games, while point guard Raymond Felton is averaging 5.5 assists per preseason contests.
The Oklahoma City Thunder open its regular season on October 28, against the San Antonio Spurs.
Dallas Maverick will start its regular season on the same night as well against at the Phoenix Suns.
