Oklahoma vs Mavericks Prediction 16 July 2026

Oklahoma have taken a rather casual approach to the Summer League, assembling a lackluster roster made up of players with virtually no NBA experience. There’s little sign of skilled rookies from the G League or NCAA either. Against this bleak backdrop, only Mara and Stirtz have managed to stand out. They headlined the Thunder’s previous outing against Denver (103-106), a game where the franchise finally began to show some promising team chemistry. There’s a chance the club can build on that performance in their upcoming clash with Dallas. However, that’s far from certain, especially given their dismal defensive efforts - even by the relaxed standards of what is essentially an exhibition tournament. In three games, Oklahoma have allowed 100+ points twice, and only narrowly kept the Lakers from hitting triple digits (they scored 96).

Dallas also head into the game in mediocre form, but unlike Oklahoma, they managed to pull off a surprise win over a strong Memphis side in the Summer League (96-88). The standout performers were the Green-Springer duo, who combined for 35 points. Head coach Boylan also highlighted Russian rookie Ishchenko, who was selected 56th overall in the recent draft. Vsevolod contributed 6 points and 5 rebounds, while doing a solid job defensively against Memphis star Boozer, holding him to just 7-of-17 shooting from the field. Given the franchise’s major roster overhaul, Ishchenko could soon break into the main team’s rotation.