Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd: Top performers from the May 24th Western Conference Finals game-4
Oklahoma City Thunder were leading the Dallas Mavericks until midway into the fourth quarter, when the Mavs came charging from behind to stun the Thunder in a 112-105 overtime win on Monday night at the Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City.
Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd rose to the occasion, as the Mavs suddenly found themselves one win away from clinching the Conference Finals.
With this win the Mavs are now 3-1 up in the best of the seven game series. This was their ninth victory in last 10 games while the Thunder lost two successive games at home for the first time in the entire season.
Coach Rick Carlisle said after the game, "We worked really hard these two games to win, and none of that guarantees anything for Game 5. We know that," he added, "All of us involved with this team have been through a lot of these wars. We understand our position that we're in. We respect it. We're very humble about it. We've got to get ourselves revved up and ready for Wednesday, because that's an opportunity."
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki was the man who single handedly orchestrated the shocking victory over the Thunder.
It was Nowitzki, who turned the things around in Dallas favour. He didn’t just slash Thunder’s 15-point fourth quarter lead, but also pushed the game into extra time. Nowitzki led the fourth quarter rally, racking 12 points during Dallas’s 17-point surge down the stretch.
Later at the tip of the overtime he made two go-ahead free throws, after which the Mavs never looked back. Nowitzki finished the night with 40 points, five rebounds and three assists.
He spent 45 minutes on the court to hit 12-of-20 field goals, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 14-of-15 shots from the free throw line.
Jason Kidd
Point guard Jason Kidd was the one who hit the go-ahead three-pointer on Nowitzki’s assist with just 40 seconds to go in the extra time.
During his 41 minute of stay on court, Kidd scored 17 points, provided seven assists, and grabbed five rebounds along with four steals. Kidd was exceptional from the foul line, hitting 4-of-4 and also shot three of six from beyond the arc.
Kidd was the tormentor in chief during the overtime during which the Mavs outscored Oklahoma City with an 11-4 margin. He thumped five points during that stretch as Dallas registered the game in their favour.
Tags: