Mavericks Roll Out New-Look Starting Five Against Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks are shuffling the deck for Wednesday night's Western Conference showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The starting five is officially set: Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford.

If you are scanning that list and wondering where a certain Slovenian superstar is, you are not alone. With Luka Doncic noticeably absent from this specific starting group, the entire offensive geometry changes for Dallas.

"Underdog NBA reported the starting lineup on X."

This immediately turns into the Kyrie Irving show. When Irving has the keys to the offense without sharing the backcourt usage rate, his prop lines usually look like a video game on easy mode. Bettors and fantasy managers need to adjust their expectations accordingly, because the shot volume is about to spike.

Then there is the youth movement. Throwing Max Christie and rookie sensation Cooper Flagg into the starting unit gives Dallas a completely different defensive look. Flagg has been the most talked-about prospect in years, and getting starting minutes against a loaded Thunder squad is a massive test of where his game is actually at.

The Mavericks are coming off a tight 113-109 win over the Miami Heat on Monday. They have been a bit of a rollercoaster over the last week, blowing out the Indiana Pacers 121-105 before dropping a weird 122-106 game to the San Antonio Spurs.

Rolling out this specific five against Oklahoma City feels like showing up to a drag race in a concept car. It might look incredibly cool, or the engine might stall at the starting line. Either way, you are going to want to watch.

We will see how this rotation holds up against the Thunder's relentless pace. If Flagg and Christie can hold their own defensively while Irving cooks, Dallas might have found a secondary lineup that actually survives the non-Luka minutes before they host the Houston Rockets this weekend.