‘Same Thunder DNA’: Dusty May Expects Short-Handed Oklahoma City To Fight As Dallas Mavericks Host Unbeaten Thunder

DALLAS — The Oklahoma City Thunder arrive at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night without Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso. Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said before the game that he still expects the Thunder’s usual fight. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT.

Oklahoma City is 4-0 and has allowed a league-low 100.8 points per game. The Thunder also ruled out Nikola Topić and Thomas Sorber, and they listed Ajay Mitchell as questionable with a right ankle sprain after he scored a career-high 30 points in Monday’s 125-114 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 2024-25 MVP, is averaging 27.3 points through four games. May said he saw the Thunder short on bodies in person last season in Detroit and that they still fought.

“I mean, obviously, you have a league MVP in Shai. I think Jared McCain and Hartenstein and Aday, I think those guys are all really, really good. … They have a lot of really good players. And obviously, some of those guys are out. I’m not sure [if] Ajay Mitchell, if he’s out now,” May said. “But when you look at how deep they are, I think every year, this is why their record book says [what] it does. Because I mean, I saw them in person last year rolling to Detroit. I don’t know if they had enough bodies to even play the game, and they fought like crazy. So we’re going to get the same Thunder DNA tonight as if Chet’s playing, as if some of those other guys are playing.”

Oklahoma City won the 2025 NBA championship and reached the Western Conference finals last season. Dallas (2-2) opens a three-game homestand with Kyrie Irving and Caleb Martin available, but without Naji Marshall, Sergio De Larrea, Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberović, and Dereck Lively II.

Dusty May On Aday Mara, His Former Center At Michigan

One of the Thunder players May named is his former center. Aday Mara, a 7-foot-2 rookie from Spain, transferred from UCLA to Michigan and helped May’s team win the 2026 national championship before Oklahoma City drafted him 12th overall in June.

Mara is averaging 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 14.5 minutes through four games. May coached him for one season at Michigan.

“Well, after tonight, I hope he continues playing incredibly well, which he has up to this point, to see how great a shape they’ve gotten him in. I mean, and obviously he’s the captain of that ship. They’ve obviously focused on the right things with him,” May explained. “He’s been very successful and obviously I think we all know it’s tough to be a rookie in this league and he looks like he belongs. He’s just such a unique player, but I think his conditioning is the thing that’s really jumped out. But, man, he’s just so much fun to be around. He’s just got such a good heart. I mean, I can’t imagine how much better he makes their locker room and their practices because of his joyful energy every day.”

Mara played limited minutes at UCLA before the move to Michigan. May said Mara wanted feedback and a real partnership with the coaching staff when he arrived.

“Just he was very intentional about the relationship, and he wanted feedback, he wanted constructive criticism, he wanted that type of partnership because he is unique, and he didn’t want to waste his gifts at Michigan,” May said. “And so because of the players we had around him and because of the pieces that fit together with him, he was able to play extremely well.”

May On Closing Games After The Win In Miami

Monday’s 113-109 win at the Miami Heat was the Mavericks’ first close game of the season. In the final 1:06, Miami grabbed three offensive rebounds and scored on a Bam Adebayo tip-in before Cooper Flagg sealed it with a driving layup.

“We have a lot of room for growth. We blocked a couple shots, and when we didn’t block shots, we had trouble defensively rebounding them late with that group. So that’s something late in the games like that, the rebounding is a big part of it,” May said. “And then offensively, we kept it very simple. They were putting two on the ball with every ball screen. So we didn’t really, and we hadn’t been great in the short rolls, we’re gonna get better at it. And so we just, we put the ball [in Coop’s hands], and Coop had it going and he was making such good decisions. We knew he’d at least create an advantage for himself or someone else, and man, he makes a play.”

“As far as the decision making, get it to your guys in space, yeah, but there’s still some things that we have to clean up and do better if we’re going to be able to win consistently in the last couple minutes,” May continued.

After Wednesday, the Mavericks host the Houston Rockets on Friday and the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The Thunder return to Dallas on Jan. 18.