The Dallas Mavericks will need to navigate through Thursday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder without their two best players. Both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out of Thursday's tilt which will leave the Mavs shorthanded against OKC.

This report comes via team insider Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News:

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Mavericks News
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his favorite WNBA player’s gameAbdullah Imran ·
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving talks with Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) after the game against the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
Wings’ Paige Bueckers reveals how Kyrie Irving inspired ‘unguardable’ motivationJoey Mistretta ·
Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg makes first Dallas appearance at Wings-Fever clashRichard Pereira ·
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) looks on with Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg (right) at a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility with Mavericks' Anthony Davis and Mavericks' Kyrie Irving in the background
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg gets 100% real on playing with Anthony Davis, Kyrie IrvingJosue Pavon ·
Cooper Flagg in a Mavericks jersey and Paige Bueckers in a Wings jersey in front. In background, place the Duke basketball and UConn women's basketball logos.
Cooper Flagg responds to Paige Bueckers ‘giving him crap’ over Duke-UConn decisionJoey Mistretta ·
Nico Harrison doubles down on how Cooper Flagg addition will win back Mavericks fans' hearts
Nico Harrison doubles down on how Cooper Flagg addition will win back Mavericks fans’ heartsJulian Ojeda ·

The good news for the Mavs here is that the injuries to both stars seem minor. This is the first we've heard of Doncic's ankle problem, and he looked fine in Dallas' 115-104 win against the San Antonio Spurs. The same can be said about Porzingis who appears to have fully recovered from the back issue that cost him to sit out two weeks in February.

This just sounds like the Mavs giving their stars an extra day of rest following Wedensday's contest. The fact that they are going against a 15-21 Pelicans side on the second night of a back-to-back set is likely to have factored into their decision to sit both Doncic and Prozingis.

The Mavs carried on with their winning ways against the Spurs following a three-game win streak prior to the break. They now look to make it five straight against Oklahoma City, but the fact that they will be extremely shorthanded poses a significant challenge for the squad.

Dallas returns to action on Saturday in a tough bout against the Denver Nuggets, and barring any unforeseen setbacks/underlying issues, both Doncic and Porzingis should be good to go for that marquee matchup.