Oklahoma City Thunder take on Dallas Mavericks on Monday

By Ben Bolch

Dec. 31, 2011 12 AM PT

OKLAHOMA CITY AT DALLAS

When: Monday at 5:30 p.m. PST.

TV: NBA TV.

Update: The schedule makers must have really wanted to find out in the season’s first nine days if the Thunder is ready to lower the boom on the NBA’s defending champions. Oklahoma City prevailed, 104-102, on Thursday in the first meeting between the presumed Western Conference powers when Kevin Durant made a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the visiting Mavericks. Now the teams will meet again four days later, giving Dallas a chance to pick up the pace following an abysmally slow start. The Mavericks hardly looked title worthy in blowout losses to Miami and Denver, desperately missing the departed Tyson Chandler and Jose Barea. And new acquisition Lamar Odom has been more like a net loss, averaging 4.7 points while shooting 14.8% in his first three games.

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Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

Oklahoma City Thunder take on Dallas Mavericks on Monday

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