Dallas and Oklahoma City are two of the top four teams in the Western Conference standings at the moment.

OKC is at the top at 18-5, while Dallas is only 2.5 games back in fourth place.

Dallas is the reigning Western Conference champion and OKC is flying high even without Chet Holmgren on the floor.

Tuesday’s clash in OKC could be an early Western Conference Finals preview, and it is shaping up to be the much better quarterfinal because neither team is dealing with significant injuries, outside of Holmgren’s long-term absence.

Dallas won the first meeting between the two sides on November 17 by a 121-119 score. The Mavs won that game without Luka Doncic, who had 37, 31 and 26 points in his three NBA Cup group-stage games.

Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be involved in a scoring duel, but don’t count out the supporting pieces from playing big roles as well.

Isaiah Hartenstein increased OKC’s paint presence and Jalen Williams has gotten better as a do-it-all-type player for the Thunder.

Dallas improved its shooting depth with Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington could be a vital piece on Tuesday if the Mavs’ centers struggles with Hartenstein down low.

A handful of other Western Conference teams will have a say in who makes the conference finals in the spring, but at the moment, Dallas and OKC seem like two of the best built squads to play in that series.