The Oklahoma City Thunder are traveling to Dallas to begin a three game road trip that features two games against Texas-Based Western Conference Foes tonight against the Mavericks and on Halloween in Houston against the Rockets before the road trip concludes in Cleveland on Tuesday night against the Cavaliers.

Oklahoma City is off to a 4-0 start and sit atop the NBA for now. However, devestating news this week has derailed what was once a title-or-bust season as All-NBA Swingman Jalen Williams and Defensive ace Cason Wallace suffered what the team is bracing to be season ending injuries on Sunday against the L.A. Clippers.

Along with those two, All-NBA big man Chet Holmgren, elite defender Alex Caruso and youngsters Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber are all out tonight for this contest against Dallas. Kyrie Irving and Caleb Martin were upgraded to available for the Dallas Mavericks while the team will be without Nnaji Marshall who started the day as questionable.

The Mavericks are 2-2 on the season and looking to get above .500 on this undersized and undermanned Thunder squad. Oklahoma City will have a tough time generating offense but did recieve good news pregame as bench boss Mark Daigneault announced that the team would have rising star Ajay Mitchell available after he was initally tabbed as questionable with an ankle sprain on yesterday's injury report. The biggest challenge facing the Thunder is hot to defend Mavericks star Cooper Flagg. Oklahoma City even when healthy did not have a plethora of wing-sized bodies to throw at the second year phenom and now have no one who perfectly matches up physically with Flagg.

As Oklahoma City misses three of its five staple starters in this contest, it was up to Daigneault to get creative with the first five on the floor in Dallas. 30 minutes before tip-off, the Oklahoma City Thunder revealed who would be in the starting five.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineups

Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
• Ajay Mitchell, G
• Jared McCain, G
• Kenrich Williams, F
• Isaiah Hartenstein, C

Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineup

• Kyrie Irving, G
• Max Christie, G
• Cooper Flagg, F
• P.J. Washington, F
• Daniel Gafford, C

Up next the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Houston Rockets in an interesting battle as the Rockets are playing like the best team in basketball right now. With two days off before that tip-off the Thunder will have its work cut out for them.