Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks progressed through the initial round without exceptional performances from their top stars.

As they gear up for their next challenge in the Western Conference second-round showdown, kicking off on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, it’s evident that both squads will be needing more from their top players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Luka Doncic for the Mavericks.

During Oklahoma City’s commanding sweep of New Orleans in the opening round, Gilgeous-Alexander posted averages of 27.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 steals. He shot 47.6% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the three-point line.

All those figures fell below his regular-season norms.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who became a father to a son during the initial playoff series, is eagerly anticipating the upcoming challenge.

“I’m ready for it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who has previously appeared in playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 and Thunder in 2020. “I’m excited for it. I’ve never been to the second round.”

Doncic amassed averages of 29.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds in the Mavericks’ 4-2 triumph over the Clippers in the opening round but struggled with shooting efficiency at 40.5% from the floor and 23.9% from downtown.

Despite shooting a career-best 38.2% from long range in the regular season, Doncic has been hampered by a right knee sprain preluding the playoffs.

“I don’t think it’s going to get better before I get some rest,” Doncic said. “That’s a lot of minutes. Maybe the summer.”

However, Doncic is determined to soldier through the injury, and even operating below his peak physical condition, he will command Oklahoma City’s defensive focus.

“It’ll be a full-team effort, for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of defending Doncic. “He is who he is for a reason. No one guy slows him down. We have one of the best — if not the best — perimeter defenders in the NBA. We’ll lean on him a little bit.”

That defender, Luguentz Dort, played a pivotal role in Oklahoma City’s swift disposal of the Pelicans in the first round, propelling them to the second round for the first time since the 2016 Western Conference finals run.

“The ball is going to be in his hands a lot, so my main thing is to make everything tough,” Dort said of defending Doncic.

Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd affirmed the readiness of Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr., who was absent in the final four games of the prior round due to an ankle injury.

“They’ve been great,” Kidd said. “They look great. They look ready to go.”

Although Hardaway’s return is imminent, Dallas will miss the services of reserve power forward/center Maxi Kleber and Olivier-Maxence Prosper due to injuries sustained in the previous round.

This marks only the second instance since their 2011 title triumph that the Mavericks have advanced to the second round, reaching the Western Conference finals in 2022.

Of the four face-offs between the teams this season, the Thunder emerged victorious in three encounters, securing wins in both meetings on their home court.

Ignoring speculations linking him to the Lakers, Kidd inked a multi-year extension with the Mavericks, as officially disclosed by the team on Monday.