Russell Westbrook scored 35 points and hit a jumper with a minute left to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 107-101 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night at the American Airlines Center.
Thunder vs. Mavericks final score: Westbrook’s late jumper propels Oklahoma City past Dallas, 107-101
Russell Westbrook’s jumper with one minute to play proved to be the game-winner as the Thunder pulled out a hard-fought win over the Mavericks. Kevin Durant scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.
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Kevin Durant struggled for much of the night, but came on strong in a thrilling fourth quarter to finish with 31 points and nine rebounds. 19 of those points came in the final frame, with two free throws at the end to put the nail in the coffin.
The game was tight throughout, and the Thunder took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter. That lead reached as many as seven in the quarter, but the Mavs never went away, tying the game at 101-101 with 1:20 left after four straight Dirk Nowitzki free throws. Westbrook and Durant then played hero as they do so often, with Westbrook hitting the go-ahead jumper and Durant blocking Mike James on the other end. Thabo Sefolosha followed that up with a jumper to put Oklahoma City up four.
In addition to Westbrook and Durant, Serge Ibaka had a big game with 18 points and 16 rebounds. The play of the Thunder’s “Big Three” helped make up for a poor performance from their bench, which was outscored by the Mavs’ bench 40-18.
Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the loss. Vince Carter scored 18 points in a strong effort off the bench.
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