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Unbeaten Oklahoma City visits Dallas without two key players as Cooper Flagg gathers momentum

The Thunder is 4-0 after beating Phoenix, but Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace need surgery. The 2-2 Mavericks return from Miami after Flagg scored 29 points and delivered 11 assists.

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Nighttime exterior of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with visitors near the venue, in an April 2026 file photo.
The American Airlines Center in Dallas in April 2026; file photo of the venue. © BullDawg2021 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Oklahoma City has won its first four games of the season, though that perfect start has come at a considerable cost. Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace have sustained injuries requiring surgery. The Thunder beat Phoenix after learning the extent of those absences and now travels to Dallas, where Cooper Flagg is coming off one of the most complete performances of his young season. It is far too early to settle a hierarchy, but Wednesday's game will test how both teams respond.

The game

  • Competition: NBA, 2026-27 regular season.
  • Matchup: Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks.
  • Date and time: Wednesday, October 28, 8:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time; 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
  • Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas.

Four wins, a changed rotation

The Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 125-114 on Monday to move to 4-0. Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 30 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26, according to the Associated Press game account. The result shows Oklahoma City can still score despite losing two important backcourt contributors. It does not, on its own, establish how the team will sustain that response over the coming weeks.

The club said Williams fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle, while Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder. Both require surgery. General manager Sam Presti said recovery timelines would become clearer after the operations. Williams supplied creation and scoring alongside Gilgeous-Alexander; Wallace provided another defensive option and ballhandler. Their absences put more weight on Mitchell and the rest of the rotation. Dallas offers another test of how those responsibilities are redistributed.

Gilgeous-Alexander remains the Thunder's most established offensive reference point. His ability to create an advantage still depends on teammates converting the chances he generates and does not by itself solve the problem of defending opposing perimeter players. Mitchell delivered 30 against Phoenix. What changes on Wednesday will also depend on Dallas's defensive assignments and rebounding, matters that cannot be settled before tipoff.

Flagg returns home after the win in Miami

Dallas is 2-2 after Monday's 113-109 win over the Miami Heat. Flagg scored 29 points and had 11 assists. A left shoulder sprain had kept him out of Saturday's game against San Antonio, but he played in Miami. His appearance establishes that he returned on Monday; it does not confirm his availability for every subsequent game. In the official report available Tuesday at midday, Dallas had not yet filed its game-specific injury list for Wednesday.

The Mavericks do not need to turn one performance into a promise of a trend. They do have a recent example around which to organize their offense: Flagg combined scoring and playmaking against the Heat. One tactical question is how much help Oklahoma City might commit to him and what space his teammates could find if the Thunder concentrates its defense there. At the other end, Dallas must avoid leaving Mitchell or another scorer free when it focuses on Gilgeous-Alexander. These are possibilities raised by the matchup, not starting lineups or instructions announced by the coaches.

The location matters within the schedule, too. Dallas begins a run of games at American Airlines Center after winning on the road; the Thunder makes its first trip since the Williams and Wallace injuries. Neither fact decides the outcome. They frame the challenge: the visitors aim to preserve their unbeaten start with a reshaped rotation, while the hosts seek to build on a win led by Flagg.

Player availability

  • Oklahoma City — Jalen Williams: The club announced a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle requiring surgery. Presti had not set a return date before the operation.
  • Oklahoma City — Cason Wallace: The club announced a torn labrum in his left shoulder requiring surgery, with no public timetable for his return.
  • Dallas — Cooper Flagg: He played in Miami on Monday after the left shoulder sprain. His status for Wednesday's game had not yet been confirmed in a game-specific injury report.

Both clubs were listed as “not yet submitted” for Wednesday's game on the NBA's official injury report issued Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time. The status of other players cannot be inferred from reports for earlier games.

How to watch Thunder–Mavericks

  • Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
  • Local date and time: Wednesday, October 28, 8:30 p.m. CDT.

United States

  • Tipoff: Wednesday, October 28, 9:30 p.m. EDT / 6:30 p.m. PDT.
  • TV: ESPN, listed for this matchup on both clubs' schedules.
  • Streaming: ESPN.com and the ESPN app carry the channel for eligible subscribers or TV-provider customers, subject to their access terms.

Australia

  • Tipoff: Thursday, October 29, 12:30 p.m. AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne; 9:30 a.m. AWST in Perth.
  • TV and streaming: A broadcast for this specific game has not yet been announced.

United Kingdom

  • Tipoff: Thursday, October 29, 1:30 a.m. GMT.
  • TV and streaming: A broadcast for this specific game has not yet been announced.

A Thunder win would extend its perfect start despite two major absences. For Dallas, the test is whether it can bring home the initiative Flagg showed in Miami and find answers against an opponent that just scored 125 points with fewer available players.