Thunder vs. Mavericks, 2016 NBA playoffs: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online

The loss in Game 2 woke up the Thunder, which will be looking to get a 3-1 lead heading back to Oklahoma City.

Apr 23, 2016, 3:00 PM UTC

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After a surprising loss in Oklahoma City, the Thunder got back on track in Game 3 and beat the Mavericks comfortably to take control of the series. Now they will have a chance to confirm their superiority and potentially travel back home with a chance to close it out, if they can win in Dallas once again.

Any hope that a very close Game 2 was going to be the norm and not the exception in the series evaporated on Thursday, when the Thunder never trailed en route to a 29-point blowout. Kevin Durant bounced back from a 7-for-33 night in the loss to drop 35 points in 25 shots. Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka also put together solid, efficient performances and that was enough to put Oklahoma City up 2-1.

Raymond Felton, the hero in the upset, played well once again and the Mavericks had balanced scoring. They simply couldn't keep up with the Thunder's firepower in the second half and they don't have the defenders to slow it down and grind out wins consistently. What worked in Game 2 simply wasn't enough on a night in which Oklahoma City's stars were sharper.

Both teams know how to beat each other. If they don’t shoot themselves in the foot with poor decision-making, the Thunder are simply the better team and could win the next two and close the series. With a little collaboration from their opponent, the Mavericks will make a game of it and hope that Oklahoma City’s struggles in the clutch will let them steal another one to make it even at two.

It was hard to imagine an even matchup between these two teams before the series started and it’s hard to imagine it now, even after a thrilling win by Dallas. The Thunder will have a chance to establish their dominance on Saturday, and they won’t likely pass it up.

The entire NBA world knows better than to count out any squad coached by Rick Carlisle, however, so if Oklahoma City comes out flat assuming Dallas will hand them the win, they could be on the wrong end of an upset once again.