Dallas Mavericks beat Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 to clinch the Conference Finals – A Roundup (Part 2)
Link for Part–1: http://www.senore.com/Dallas-Mavericks-beat-Oklahoma-City-Thunder-4-1-to-clinch-the-Conference-Finals-A-Roundup-Part-1-a71989
Game-3
Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion scored 18 points each as Dallas Mavericks bounced back from game-2 defeat and cruised past the Oklahoma City Thunder 93-87 in the third game of the Western Conference Finals. With the victory, the Mavs took a 2-1 lead in the series. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry added 13 points apiece while centre Tyson Chandler grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
Guard Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 30 points while forward Kevin Durant had 24 points and 12 rebounds. However, the shooting of both of the Thunder All-Stars was not up to the mark, going 8-for-20 and 7-for-22 from the field, respectively.
Marion paced the Mavs with eight points as Dallas carried a 27-12 lead after 12 minutes. The Mavericks then opened the second quarter with eight unanswered points to take a 35-12 lead. Although Oklahoma City tried to pull back a few but, Dallas continued to play with focus and intensity, taking a 52-36 lead at halftime and a 70-56 lead heading into the fourth.
Trailing by 14 points after three quarters, the Thunder were able to keep the game close in the fourth quarter as they cut the deficit to just four with 24 seconds to go in the game. The Mavericks however got down to business in the last 24 seconds of the game and went on a 4-2 run to walk off with a hard-fought victory.
Game-4
Nowitzki scored 12 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter as Dallas rallied from 15-point deficit down the stretch to force the game to overtime and beat the Thunder, 112-105, at the Oklahoma City Arena. Jason Terry came off the bench with 20 points while Kidd added 17 points in the victory.
For the Thunder, Durant registered 29 points and 15 rebounds, Westbrook chipped in with 19 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while Serge Ibaka ended with a series-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City played well in the first three quarters of the game behind a 21-point performance by Durant and held an 81-77 lead. The Thunder continued to mount pressure in the fourth quarter and widened their lead to 99-84 with 05:06 to go. However, at this point, the Nowitzki took charge of the game and scored 12 of the next 17 points for Dallas, all part of a 17-2 spurt, to knot the game at 101 and send it into overtime.
Both teams remained close early in the O.T. as the scores were tied thrice. Jason Kidd however broke the ice with a three and the Mavs never looked back after that. They converted four free throws in the last 13 seconds to seal the game.
Game-5
With another final-quarter comeback and another superb performance from Nowitzki down the stretch, the Mavericks kicked off Oklahoma City 100-96 in the fifth game of the series to reach the NBA finals for the first time since 2006.
Nowitzki and Shawn Marion each scored 26 points in the victory. The German sharp shooter scored nine of his points in the fourth, which played a vital in erasing Dallas’ seven-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining in the game.
Westbrook topped all scorers with a game-high 31 points but could not save his team from the fourth consecutive defeat of the series. Durant and James Harden followed with 23 points apiece.
OKC once again headed the first three quarters of the game and carried a four-point lead into the final stanza. The Thunder stretched their advantage to 92-86 with 04:27 to go, but then the Mavs went on a 4-0 run in the next one and half minute to cut the deficit to just two, 92-90. Durant hit a floating jump shot to make it 94-90 for Oklahoma City.
Dallas, primed by Nowitzki, however scored the next eight points of the quarter to go ahead by 98-94 for good. Westbrook hit a pair of free throw to cut the deficit to two but Dallas never looked back.
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