Both the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off close games where the starters did not get to rest, so expect for both teams to come out possibly a little sluggish on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder hold a 27-12 record while the Dallas Mavericks hold a 22-17 record. Both teams are pretty locked into a playoff spot but Oklahoma City is currently third in the Western Conference while Dallas is fifth. Dallas may be a little more winded in this matchup after coming off an overtime loss to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on Tuesday night. However, Oklahoma City will be dealing with their own problems by playing the second half of a back to back against a pretty darn competitive team.

Dallas lost 110-107 at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night where LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did what they do best, score 49 points combined.

"We can't hang our heads," forward Chandler Parsons told the Mavericks website. "We've got the same type of monster tomorrow night in OKC dealing with similar personnel with Westbrook and Durant. It's not going to get easier going forward, so we've got to lock in and get back at it tomorrow."

Really expect for Oklahoma City who defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-96 on Tuesday to be fatigued too. Kevin Durant was cold the entire game and then ended up scoring Oklahoma City's final 12 points in the last three quarters to top off his 30 point night.

"It felt like I need to get it going in the first three quarters," Durant said. "I can't just come out and try to save the game and make shots in the fourth. I've got to get going earlier. I've got to make shots, man. That's what it's about."

Kevin Durant's counterpart Russell Westbrook recorded 22 points, 11 assist, and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City won for the seventh time in nine games. It's safe to say that this team is hot overall.

Previous Matchup

Last game against the Dallas Mavericks back on November 22, Kevin Durant did not play but Oklahoma City won, 117-114. Russell had 31 points and 11 assists, scoring Oklahoma City's final six points of the game.

That win for Oklahoma City snapped Dallas' six-game winning at the time.

In that game, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews combined for 38 points while knocking down six three-pointers, in what was an offensive shootout.

On paper, Dallas has the upper hand on back to backs with a 6-3 record in the second half of a back to back, while Oklahoma City is only 2-4 on the second half of back to backs. With an old Dallas roster, don't be surprised if the Mavericks rest a few of their key players.

Fun Fact Of The Game

Dirk Nowitzki averages eight points per game on catch and shoot attempts, ranking third in the NBA, and Serge Ibaka for Oklahoma City was seventh in the NBA at 7.1 per game.

The Thunder won nine of their last 11 at home against the Mavericks, including two playoff wins at home. Tuesday was the end of OKC's longest road trip of the season that ended with a 2-1 record.