(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The upcoming Western Conference semifinal series between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder isn’t being talked about as much as at least one other semifinal series, but it has the ability to be a good, competitive matchup.
It will feature three marquee stars in Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic of the Mavs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder, as well as a Rookie of the Year finalist in Oklahoma City big man Chet Holmgren.
Jason Timpf says that while he sees this series as a “coin flip,” he’s leaning toward Dallas winning in six games, per The Volume.
“I think Luka is a better player than Shai”
—@_JasonLT explains why he has Dallas in 6 pic.twitter.com/kJUqp1JFb7
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) May 7, 2024
Perhaps the biggest reason why Timpf is picking Dallas is because, in his view, Doncic is a better player than Gilgeous-Alexander.
While the latter had an outstanding season and made himself into an MVP candidate, Doncic led the NBA in scoring with 33.9 points a game while also putting up 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game.
The Slovenian native also established a career-high in 3-point accuracy, and many feel his defense has improved.
Timpf also pointed out the Mavs’ offensive rebounding, and the Thunder’s inability to limit their opponents to one shot, as another reason he’s picking the Mavs.
They have young big men in P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and rookie Derrick Lively II who can pound the boards and give them extra shot opportunities.
As Timpf mentioned, Oklahoma City has more offensive depth, but the clutch prowess of Doncic and Irving could very well do even more to tip this series in Dallas’ favor.
The post Analyst Predicts Which Team Will Win Mavericks, Thunder Series appeared first on The Cold Wire.