Mavericks-Thunder Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 26 2012 7:48PM

Failing to measure up in their much-anticipated NBA Finals rematch, the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone back to the drawing board.

The Dallas Mavericks are also looking to refocus now that their star forward has returned to the lineup.

The Thunder will try to stop their first losing streak of the season and win their 11th straight at home on Thursday night when they take on the Mavericks.

After winning 12 consecutive games - the franchise's longest streak since 1995-96 - Oklahoma City (21-6) dropped consecutive road contests against Minnesota on Dec. 20 and Miami on Tuesday.

The Thunder suffered their first defeat in five games following a loss and haven't lost three in a row since April 2-6.

While Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 54 points - more than any set of teammates had against the Heat - both missed potential game-tying 3-pointers in Miami.

"Unfortunately we didn't come away with the win but we did a lot of good things that we can take away to the next game," coach Scott Brooks told the team's official website.

The Thunder fell to 11-3 when both stars score 20 or more points, but they could certainly use some help. Durant and Westbrook have scored 117 points in the team's last two losses, while the rest of the team has totaled just 73.

After averaging 108.6 points while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor during its 12-game run, Oklahoma City has slowed to 95.0 and 41.2 percent, respectively, the past two contests.

The Thunder should have a decent chance to get back on track against a Dallas team that ranks near the bottom of the NBA in scoring defense (103.8 per game) in December.

The return of former MVP Dirk Nowitzki wasn't enough to prevent the Mavericks (12-16) from losing for the sixth time in seven games, as they fell 129-91 at San Antonio on Sunday.

Dallas trailed by as many as 46 before losing its ninth game by 15 points or more.

"We got a (butt-kicking), that's it," forward Shawn Marion said. "No need to explain it ... it was an old-fashioned (butt-kicking)."

The blowout loss spoiled the long-awaited return of Nowitzki, the team's leading scorer every season since 1999-00. He scored eight points in 20 minutes off the bench after missing the first 27 games following knee surgery in October.

"We need to keep on working," Nowitzki said. "We've got a lot of areas to improve. We might not be as talented as some teams on the top, but if we're not, you have to make it up with how you play and compete and it's just not there."

While it's likely to take Nowitzki some time to get back into form, the Mavericks could use his prolific scoring with O.J. Mayo battling illness and a minor slump.

Mayo, who missed the team's workouts earlier in the week because of a fever, is expected to play after returning to practice on Wednesday.

The team scoring leader (19.3) will try to bounce back after averaging 8.3 points on 9 of 33 from the field in his last three games.

Dallas has totaled just 89.3 points on 41.5 percent shooting during its three-game skid, but might be catching the Thunder at the right time. Oklahoma City has given up 101.0 points on 45.7 percent in its back-to-back losses.

The Thunder have won six straight against the Mavericks, including a sweep in the first round of the 2011-12 playoffs.

Westbrook rallies Thunder past Mavericks 111-105

By JEFF LATZKE
Posted Dec 28 2012 12:44AM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Here's a new twist on the Oklahoma City Thunder's budding rivalry with the Dallas Mavericks: With a game coming down to crunch time, Dirk Nowitzki didn't want the ball.

Instead, it was Russell Westbrook who shrugged off a shaky start and closed out a Thunder victory.

Kevin Durant scored 40 points while Westbrook added eight of his 16 points in overtime to help Oklahoma City beat Dallas 111-105 on Thursday night for their 11th straight win at home.

Westbrook turned the game around with six straight points after the Mavs had gone up 104-101 on Chris Kaman's bucket inside midway through overtime. Westbrook had a layup, hit a jumper over the rusty Nowitzki and then made a leaping steal of an O.J. Mayo pass that led to a fast-break layup. The sequence left Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shaking his head in his seat near the team's bench.

"I just try to make an impact on the game," said Westbrook, who also had 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals. "Maybe it's not scoring. Maybe it's rebounding, maybe it's passing, maybe it's defending.

"But I just try to make an impact on the game every night."

Until the end, it had been Westbrook who was frustrated. He missed eight of his first 10 shots and struggled to contain ex-UCLA teammate Darren Collison, who scored a season-high 32 points and hit a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.

"Sometimes there's nights like that," Westbrook said. "You've just got to continue to play, fight through it and play your game."

When asked specifically about Collison, Westbrook cut off his postgame interview and cussed on his way out of the locker room.

"He kept fighting and kept fighting for the team," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. " ... I love Russell. I love what he does. I love what he's about. He competes every time. He's a big part of why we're a good team."

Still working his way back into shape, Nowitzki proved to be a liability during Oklahoma City's 17-6 fourth-quarter comeback. He sagged off of Durant far enough that the three-time NBA scoring champion could drill a 3-pointer from the left wing, then was trailing a play when Mayo backed into him and lost the ball to set up Durant's fast-break dunk and three-point play.

"I don't really have the stamina or the legs there, so I couldn't really put on the brakes. I mean, I kicked the ball out of his hands," Nowitzki said. "It was just some ugly stuff."

In overtime, Carlisle pulled Nowitzki in favor of Shawn Marion for defense at one point. And he wasn't his usual clutch self with the game on the line - as Oklahoma City knows well from the Western Conference finals two seasons ago.

"I didn't really want the ball that much," Nowitzki said. "I don't really feel like I've got the stamina, the lift to do something out there with the ball, make a one-on-one move.

"I think that I'm a week or two away of really dominating the ball down the stretch and making some stuff happen."

Nowitzki said his knee feels "phenomenal," going as far as saying he thinks the surgery will be good for the rest of his career, but at this point his legs feel heavy.

"I don't really have any bounce or lift," Nowitzki said. "I don't really have that bounce in my step yet, but I'll keep working. As long as the knee respondes the right way, I think my legs will come back sooner or later."

Serge Ibaka added 19 points and matched his season high with 17 rebounds as Oklahoma City charged back from 10 points down in the final 7:17 of regulation and found a way to win after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

After Westbrook put Oklahoma City up 107-104, Mayo was fouled on Dallas' next possession while shooting a 3-pointer. He missed the first two foul shots with 33 seconds left as the sold-out Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd roared louder with each miss.

Westbrook hit two free throws after that to put it away - this time for good.

Collison came up with a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to send it to overtime after Dallas had given up the lead for the first time since the opening 4 minutes.

Marion inbounded from the sideline with 2.2 seconds left, collected a deflected pass and headed toward the lane before kicking the ball out to Collison, who caught the ball in mid-air and heaved it toward the basket for the tying 3 from the right wing.

Replays showed he released the shot with one-tenth of a second left on the clock.

"He was phenomenal for us tonight and fun to watch. I hate to waste an effort like that from him obviously," said Nowitzki, who had nine points in his second game back after offseason knee surgery.

"We definitely need him to keep playing like that. Obviously, he's not going to score 30 every night but we need him to attack and make some stuff happen."

Kaman ended up with 17 points and Marion chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who were swept on a treacherous three-game road trip that featured stops at West contenders Memphis, San Antonio and Oklahoma City despite getting Nowitzki back. Dallas has lost seven of eight to fall to 12-17.

"I think the goal is still the playoffs. I don't think that's going to change," Nowitzki said.

Dallas had been 11-1 this season when leading at the beginning of the fourth quarter and 11-2 after holding a 10-point lead or larger. Mayo, who had been averaging 20.6 points, scored only four and has 29 total over the last four games.

Oklahoma City had won 12 in a row before losing back-to-back games at Minnesota and Miami.

The franchises have grown quite familiar over the past two seasons, with each team taking a turn knocking the other out of the playoffs - in addition to their proximity along Interstate 35 and a handful of preseason matchups to go with the usual regular-season meetings. Dallas eliminated Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals before winning the NBA title in 2011 and the Thunder swept the Mavs in the first round last season.

Other than Nowitzki and coach Rick Carlisle, there aren't many remnants of those Dallas teams left. An offseason overhaul left Marion, Vince Carter, Brandan Wright and Rodrigue Beaubois as the only Mavericks remaining from those clashes.

Notes: Beaubois, a reserve guard for the Mavericks, did not play because of an illness. Carlisle said he hoped to have Beaubois back for Friday's home game against Denver. ... Reggie Jackson took Eric Maynor's minutes as Westbrook's backup at point guard for the second straight game. ... Durant remained first among Western Conference frontcourt players in NBA All-Star balloting returns announced Thursday. Westbrook stayed in fifth among guards. Nowitzki, who has made 11 straight All-Star games, was 13th in the frontcourt. ... Ibaka had a double-double by halftime for the first time in his career.

Notebook: Thunder 111, Mavericks 105, OT

Randy Renner, For NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:36 AM - Updated Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:36 AM

THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder trailed most of the game, rallied late then held on in overtime for a thrilling 111-105 win over the rival Dallas Mavericks Thursday night.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant led all scorers with 40 points, but was shut out in the overtime period going 0-for-3. His running mate, point guard Russell Westbrook, took over in the final five minutes, scoring eight points on 3-for-4 shooting and finishing with 16 on the night for OKC (22-6).

Mavericks point guard Darren Collison, a surprise starter, led Dallas (12-17) with a season-high 32 points including a desperation, fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime. Chris Kaman added 17 points and Shawn Marion dropped in 14 for Dallas. Dirk Nowizki, playing his second game since returning from offseason knee surgery, had nine points and six rebounds.

Durant also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out five assists and blocked three shots. Thunder forward Serge Ibaka had a huge game with 19 points, 17 rebounds (eight off the offensive glass) and five blocks. The Thunder blocked a total of 13 shots. Kevin Martin added 18 points and seven rebounds.

The Mavericks led by as many as 11 points and the Thunder's biggest lead was the final margin of six.

QUOTABLE: "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

THE STAT: After allowing the Mavericks to score 36 points in the third quarter the Thunder buckled down on defense in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Dallas scored just 24 points in the final 17 minutes.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder seemed to be searching for a spark all night long to get them going, and it came from an unlikely source in Mavs star Nowitzki. With Dallas leading 93-87 with 4:11 left to play, Mavs guard O.J. Mayo was bringing the ball up the court after rebounding a Durant miss. Nowitzki came up behind him and ran into him. He knocked the ball away and into the hands of Westbrook, who streaked down court and dished to Durant for a dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. That started a 9-2 OKC run to put the Thunder ahead.

QUOTABLE II: "They made some plays and we made some mistakes, but we were still right there. When we needed one stop, we couldn't get it. When we needed one rebound, we couldn't get it. When we just needed one score we couldn't get it and that's the way this league is, it's tough."

--Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle

HOT: Ibaka was 6-for-7 in the first half. ... Durant was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers in the second half. ... OKC was 9-for-15 on 3-pointers in the second half

NOT: The Mavs shot just 37.5 percent (18-for-48) in the first half. ... Nowitzki was 1-for-7 (two points), Carter 1-for-6 (three points) and Marion 2-for-7 (four points) in the first 24 minutes. ... Westbrook was 2-for-9 (four points) in the first half. ... Mayo was 1-for-5 in the second half. ... Dallas shot 33.3 percent in the overtime and the Mavs were 0-for-3 from long range.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The 84th-straight sellout crowd inside Chesapeake Energy Arena was as loud as any time this season in the closing minutes of the game.

QUOTABLE III: "Our fans are always great but they were special tonight. They helped us when we really needed it."

-- Scott Brooks

GOOD MOVE: Carlisle couldn't decide till the very last minute who would start at point guard for the Mavs and, even after he decided, he changed his mind again. Carlisle listed Dominique Jones on his official starting lineup but then scratched Jones about 10 minutes before tip-off ,deciding to go with Collison instead. He responded by shooting 71.4 percent (5-for-7) in the first quarter and scoring 14 points to lead all scorers. By the middle of the third quarter, Collison had 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting and by game's end he'd finished with a season high 32 points.

QUOTABLE IV: "Collison was terrific; really tremendous on both ends. The way he played tonight is what we need from him."

-- Rick Carlisle

BAD MOVE: Oklahoma City has been one of the best teams in the NBA at defending the 3-point shot, but tonight the Thunder had loads of trouble closing out on Mav shooters (Dallas was 11-for-21 on 3-pointers in regulation) and they seemed to get confused at times on defensive rotations. Thunder players also spent way too much time arguing non-calls with the officials, usually leading to a 5-on-4 Dallas fastbreak.

NOTABLE: Over his last four games, Durant is averaging 36.8 points on 53.8 percent shooting. ... OKC is now 6-0 when Durant scores 35 or more.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Friday vs. Denver, Sunday vs. San Antonio, Tuesday @ Washington. For the Thunder, Saturday @ Houston, Monday vs. Phoenix, Wednesday vs. Brooklyn.

• Mavericks: Beaubois, Cunningham
• Thunder: Jones, Liggins, Orton

• Mavericks: --
• Thunder: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #40 Leon Wood, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:43