Preview: Parsons to lead Dallas Mavericks against Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks (0-1) and Oklahoma City Thunder (0-1) are set to tip-off tonight in Dallas at 7:30 pm CT on NBA TV.

The Mavericks are coming off Foulpaloza in which they fell to the Houston Rockets 111-108. Both teams would combine to commit 81 fouls and shoot 109 free throws.

Chandler Parsons would score a team high 14 points in 24 minutes of action in his Mavs debut. Monta Ellis would add 10 points and Tyson Chandler finished the night with 10 points and 6 rebounds.

The Thunder would lose to the Denver Nuggets 114-101. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook would combine to play just 25 minutes.

The Parsons’ Show

The Mavs will be without “Team Have It All”. Dirk Nowitzki isn’t expected to play until Sunday and Ellis has been ruled out the next two games.

The Mavs signed Parsons this offseason with the belief they landed a star in the making. With Nowitzki and Ellis out, Parsons will be the Mavs number one option and will be able to show why the Mavs spent Max money on him.

He’ll also have the task of guarding the NBA’s leading scorer and MVP — Kevin Durant — a role formally filled by now Cav Shawn Marion.

The Mavs will ask Parsons to do it all this season and this game is his opportunity to give them a preview of if he can fill that role.

Unexpected Help

The Mavs brought in Charlie Villanueva as a training camp invite. With fifteen guaranteed deals, it’ll take a strong showing form Charlie V or the other invites to make the roster. In his first game with the team, Villanueva did not disappoint.

He finished second on the team with 13 points and shot 3-6 from three and 4-8 overall from the field. If he can continue to shoot the ball well form three, his chances of making the roster greatly increase.

Tyson Chandler

Chandler will be responsible for turning the Mavs defense around this season. He made a strong case against Dwight Howard (1-6 fg) and Rockets that he’s up for the task.

He’ll have to face a different test against the Thunder. Westbrook and Durant will test his ability to protect the basket. Will he be up for the challenge?

Injuries

Mavs: Ellis (knee – out), Nowitzki (hip – out)

Thunder: Nick Collison (ankle – out), Serge Ibake (ankle – out), Grant Jerret (ankle – out), Perry Jones (knee – questionable), Mitch McGary (foot – out), Kendrick Perkins (quad – out), Richard Solomon (back – out)

Key Matchup

Parsons vs KD

Even if this is just a preseason game, a strong showing from Parsons against last season’s MVP could go a long way for him and the Mavs.