Dallas Mavericks send Oklahoma City Thunder crashing to their first defeat 100-87 of the NBA season
On Monday night, reigning NBA champions Dallas Mavericks picked up only their second win of the 2011-2012 NBA season when they beat high flying Oklahoma City Thunder 100 – 87. The Mavericks were in control for most of the game and delighted the American Airlines Center crowd with a jolt of exciting basketball in a below par season so far.
The Mavs were led by the indomitable Dirk Nowitzki, the German giant racking up team high 26 points in the game. He was ably assisted by forward Shawn Marion who had 17 points and 3 Dallas players, Vince Carter, Jason Terry and Ian Mahinmi, came off the bench to register double figures.
The Thunder got strong contributions from there two biggest stars; Kevin Durant scoring game high 27 points while Russell Westbrook had 18 points and 8 rebounds. James Harden came off the bench for 16 more valuable ones but no other OKC player was able to make a significant impact.
The first quarter was largely unremarkable and after matching each other most of the way, the sides finished level at 20 – 20. In the second however, Dallas built up a head of steam. The Mavs had a 9 – 2 run early on that put them ahead and they stretched their lead into double digits before ending the quarter up at 54 – 47.
The third quarter saw more of the same as a focused Mavericks side came bursting out after the break, and after an initial show of strength by OKC, went on a 12 – 2 run that decimated their opposition. A 6 – 0 spree by the Thunder followed, but was halted when Mahinmi came off the bench for two big shots and Dallas finished on a 6 – 2 spree to take a 78 – 65 lead into the final period.
The fourth quarter was largely stale as Dallas showed all their experience in controlling an impulsive Thunder team. The Mavs got in some quick points at the start of the period and kept Oklahoma City in check throughout. The game eventually closed out at a comfortable 100 – 87 margin for the Mavs.
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