The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks went toe to toe on Friday in the American Airlines Center and once again proved that these two teams have no love lost between them - They are the next great NBA rivalry.

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It's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder against Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night at American Airlines Center.

When the top two teams in the NBA square off, it's expected to be a marquee event. Suffice it to say, Thursday's matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers did not live up to the billing as OKC ran off to a 134-114 victory that wasn't nearly as close as even that lopsided score would indicate.

It’ll be interesting to see which identity is able to better sustain success once the postseason is here. Throw in the possibility of a rematch in the NBA Finals, and how either team adjusts away from its identity could be the difference between winning it all or being disappointed by season’s end.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 134-114 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in a matchup between the two teams with the NBA's best records.