Suffering a sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs less than a year ago, the Dallas Mavericks look to continue the NBA’s preseason on the road tonight.

After defeating the New Orleans Hornets 87-74 Monday, Dallas will have to battle a much more difficult opponent as Oklahoma City will use all five regular starters in its second to last preseason contest.

Dallas became the first defending champion since the 2006-2007 Miami Heat to be swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, but it has done much to recover from last season.

The Mavericks acquired centers Chris Kaman and Elton Brand along with guards Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo to combat the likes of the Thunder’s stars: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Conversely, Oklahoma City did not need to make any drastic changes from last season, coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals.

Durant, last season’s scoring champion, has given Dallas fits in his five years in the NBA, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer as time expired to give the Thunder the win in the Mavericks’ third game last season.

The 6-foot-9-inches forward will be the central focus of Dallas’ game plan, but the ability to shut down his teammates, Westbrook and forward Serge Ibaka, will prove to be the reason the Mavericks win or lose tonight.

Dallas was unable to keep a close watch on players besides Durant last summer and it proved to be a huge part of the playoff losses.

The Mavs will be without star forward Dirk Nowitzki who is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery and is more than likely out of the lineup for a month.

However, reports from ESPNdallas.com have reported Nowitzki may return sooner.

Kaman will also be absent from the starting lineup with a strained right calf, but the extra depth gained by Brand should at least keep the Mavericks within striking distance by the fourth quarter.

Dallas will hope for another defensive game, such as the one Monday night, in order to keep pace with the fast and healthy Thunder.

If Durant can be kept in check for his portion of the game, and Mayo can score consistently, Dallas will have a shot to win its fourth preseason game.