|
Thunder rolls Mavericks
ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, Kevin Durant had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Dallas Mavericks 112-91 Monday night while avoiding a third straight overtime game between the teams.
The Mavericks had tied the first two meetings this season with 3-pointers at the very end, but there was no such drama the third time around.
Oklahoma City led by at least 20 throughout the second half, winning for the 10th time in 11 meetings between the teams since Dallas beat the Thunder in the 2011 Western Conference finals on its way to the NBA championship. That includes a four-game sweep of the Mavs in the first round of last year's playoffs.
Shawn Marion was the lone bright spot for Dallas, hitting 10 of 14 shots and scoring 23 points.
Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting after missing the previous two games with a right adductor strain.
The Mavericks played without reserve Vince Carter, who was out sick and missed his first game all season. Coach Rick Carlisle was denied in his first chance to earn his 500th career win.
Kevin Martin chipped in 17 points off the bench for Oklahoma City, which rested its starters in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder charged ahead to stay after starter Darren Collison headed to the Mavericks' bench with his second foul, picked up while reaching in against Durant on a made jumper with 4:10 left in the first quarter. Kevin Martin had a two-handed, alley-oop dunk and a 3-pointer during a string of nine straight Oklahoma City points, and Hasheem Thabeet's short jumper to start the second quarter made it 31-22 Thunder.
Even when Collison -- who had a season-high 32 points and hit a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation in the teams' first meeting this season -- returned, the Mavs could never stop Oklahoma City's momentum.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 33 in the fourth quarter.
Trail Blazers 100, Timberwolves 98: LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 13 rebounds to help Portland avoid a late collapse and hang on to beat Minnesota.
Wes Matthews scored 22 points and Damon Lillard added 21 points for the Blazers, but they each had five of the team's season-high 28 turnovers. The Blazers never trailed in the game, but the Wolves had a chance to tie or win in the end. Ricky Rubio swung the ball to Dante Cunningham, whose 19-footer fell short.
Wizards 98, Clippers 90: Martell Webster scored 21 points, and Washington broke a four-game losing streak with a win over a Los Angeles team missing Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
With Griffin out with strained left hamstring and Paul still dealing with a bruised right kneecap, the Wizards pulled away with a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter, spurred by a pair of big offensive rebounds by Nene.
Pacers 111, Bulls 101: David West scored 29 points and Paul George had 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, leading Indiana past short-handed Chicago, and into a share of the Central Division lead.
Knicks 99, Pistons 85: Tyson Chandler tied a franchise record with his third straight 20-rebound game, Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points, and New York beat Detroit for its fifth consecutive victory.
Heat 99, Bobcats 94: LeBron James scored 31 points and Chris Bosh added 23 to lead Miami past Charlotte, the Heat's 10th consecutive victory against the Bobcats.
|
