Flagg Is Cleared, OKC Is Missing Four Rotation Players, and Tonight Is the Mavs' Best Shot at the Champs in a While

By Marcus Delaney, RF Sports Radio Mavericks voice

Mavs Nation, I am not going to pretend Oklahoma City is beatable most nights. Tonight might be one of the few. The Thunder walk into American Airlines Center at 4-0, but they walk in short-handed, and Cooper Flagg walks in healthy.

The facts

Tipoff is 8:30 p.m. Central on ESPN. Flagg is cleared after his left shoulder issue and was not on the league's 6 a.m. Wednesday injury report, per the official NBA report and USA TODAY's Thunder Wire. He is coming off 29 points, 11 assists, five steals and three blocks in Monday's 113-109 win at Miami. Mavericks coach Dusty May told reporters, per CBS Sports, that if Dallas finds its rhythm, Flagg will "have some 15-20 assist games. There's no question."

Dallas still has questions. Kyrie Irving (left knee injury management), Naji Marshall (illness) and Caleb Martin (right thumb) are questionable, Santi Aldama is doubtful, and rookie Sergio de Larrea is out with a right knee sprain, per Thunder Wire and the NBA report. Dereck Lively II remains out.

Oklahoma City's list is longer. Jalen Williams (fractured left fibula and dislocated ankle) and Cason Wallace (left shoulder) were hurt Sunday against the Clippers and face extended absences, per CBS Sports. Chet Holmgren (right knee) and Alex Caruso (right ankle) are out, and Ajay Mitchell, who scored a career-high 30 in Monday's 125-114 win over Phoenix, is questionable. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 in that game.

History is not on Dallas' side. OKC swept all three meetings last season, and CBS Sports notes Flagg averaged just 9.0 points in his two games against the Thunder, his lowest against any opponent as a rookie. A win tonight would make Oklahoma City the first team ever to start 5-0 in three straight seasons. It also opens a stretch where the Mavericks play six of seven at home.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this is a measuring-stick game, and I mean that in a good way. Last year, Flagg looked like a rookie against this defense. Monday in Miami, he looked like the guy who runs your offense in the fourth quarter. If he can get to his spots against a Thunder team without Williams, Wallace, Holmgren and Caruso, that tells us more about his growth than another big night against a struggling team.

I also want to see the Mavs play like the favorite for once. SGA will get his points. The question is whether Dallas makes everybody else beat them. If Mitchell plays, keep him from having another 30-point night and force the Thunder's young bigs to make plays.

My call: Mavericks 112, Thunder 108. Yes, I am taking the Mavs. If you can't pick them tonight, when can you?

What to watch next

Watch Kyrie's status at shootaround, Flagg's matchup on SGA in crunch time, and whether Dallas wins the turnover battle. For Monday's game, read our Oct. 27 Mavs-Heat recap, and get the morning-after story on our Dallas Mavericks page.

Radio question: is tonight the night Cooper Flagg finally gets one over on the champs?

Sources: CBS Sports - Cooper Flagg, Mavericks host unbeaten, banged-up Thunder; USA TODAY Thunder Wire - Full injury report for Wednesday's Thunder vs. Mavericks matchup; NBA official injury report, Oct. 28, 2026, 6 a.m. ET; Mavs Moneyball - Mavericks vs. Thunder preview.