The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel on the road to face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. It will be the second night of a home-and-road back-to-back. It's the season series' third matchup. Both teams split the first two. OKC beat Dallas in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10.

The Mavs are coming off a last-second loss to the Pelicans that included a controversial missed goaltending call.

The Thunder are coming off of a 134-114 victory against the Cavaliers in their last outing on Thursday. The Mavericks dropped their most recent outing 119-116 against the Pelicans on Wednesday. In the win, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 40 points. Daniel Gafford scored a team-high 27 points for the Mavericks in the loss.

The Dallas Mavericks are set to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. Kyrie Irving did not play in the Mavericks’ 119-116 defeat against the Pelicans in New Orleans on Wednesday, but will the Mavs star return on Friday?

Get the latest Thunder vs. Mavericks predictions ahead of Friday's Western Conference clash. Free NBA picks for January 17.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss the game against Oklahoma City Thunder due to a calf strain. This marks his 21st missed game this season. The team's performance has weakened in his absence.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks (22-19) have struggled without Luka Doncic. They've lost three in a row. They suffered an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. Daniel Gafford had 27 points and 12 rebounds.

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