Oklahoma City Thunder rally late to down Dallas Mavericks 111-105 in overtime: NBA Recap
Oklahoma City Thunder trailed for most of the game but rallied late in the fourth quarter to eventually beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-105 in overtime here at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday night, extending their winning
streak at home to 11 games.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 40 points, but he was shut down in overtime where he went 0 of 3 from the field. Russell Westbrook stepped up for his team in overtime as he scored 8 of his 16 points to hand the Mavs their 4th
straight defeat.
Darren Collison led the Mavericks with 32 points and 5 rebounds, going 4 of 4 from the three point land. He also made a desperation three pointer at the buzzer to tie the score and take the game into overtime. Chris Kaman had 17
points and 8 rebounds while Dirk Nowitzki looked rusty as he finished off with 9 points, going 3 of 11 from the field.
Durant also hauled down 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists and 3 blocks while Serge Ibaka also gave a full court performance with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
"That was a heck of a game. Both teams played with maximum effort, but obviously we have some things to work on as a team. But, individually, I thought Serge was phenomenal." Thunder Coach Scott Brooks said.
Collison was red hot, he scored 14 points in the first quarter with a mixture of 3-pointers, layups, jumpers and the Mavericks led 29-21 by the end of first quarter.
Thunder trailed for most of the first half and the Mavericks led by as much as 11 points at one stage but the Thunder started slashing the deficit late in the second period. Serge Ibaka free throw caught the rim and bounced into
the hands of Kevin Durant, Durant missed a jumper but Ibaka came flying in for the dunk to make it 43-45 at halftime.
Thunder allowed 36 points in the third quarter. It once again put the Mavs in control of the game. Oklahoma City were looking for some spark down the stretch and it came from an unlikely source when Dirk Nowitzki ran into guard
O.J. Mayo and the ball bounced into the hands of Westbrook. He ran across the court and fed Durant who slammed the dunk home that brought the full packed crowd to its feet and kicked off a 9-2 run for the Thunder.
“Our fans are always great but they were special tonight. They helped us when we really needed it." Brooks said.
Durant's right handed hook shot gave Thunder their first lead of the game - on 96-95 with 1:57 on the regulation - since early first quarter. In overtime, Westbrook took control for the Thunder, who outscored the Mavs 13-7 to complete
the come-from-behind victory.
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