Western Conference Finals – Game 2: (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder, American Airlines Center
- Final Score: Thunder 106, Mavericks 100
Kevin Durant’s big Game One was overshadowed by Dirk Nowitzki. Half the pundits said Nowitzki was due to have games like Game One the entire series (not likely) and the other half warned that Durant scored his points in a way that could carry through the rest of the series. Nowitzki still had his big game — just not as jaw-dropping — but Durant kept up his torrid scoring pace with 24 points. The bench though is proving to be the key. Scott Brooks kept his bench out the entire fourth quarter (pretty much) as James Harden led the way with 23 points on nine field goals.- Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki- 29 points, 10-17 field goals, 9-10 free throws, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
- Thunder: James Harden- 23 points, 6-9 field goals, 4-7 3-pointers, 7-8 free throws, 7 rebounds
- Key Stats: The Thunder shot 55.7 percent from the floor, withstanding an early onslaught from the Mavericks that made it look like Game One was going to happen all over again. … Oklahoma City’s bench outscored Dallas’ bench 50-29. … Dirk Nowitzki had his streak of 32 consecutive made free throws snapped when he missed a crucial free throw late in the game that would have cut the lead to three. … Dallas made only nine of its 27 3-point attempts.
- Thunder guard Russell Westbrook on not playing in the fourth quarter: “When we’re winning, I’m good.”
- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki: “We took a step back from the first two series. Portland and L.A. are bigger teams, and now we’re facing a different animal. We’re having a difficult time getting stops.”
- The series is tied at 1-1. The series shifts to Oklahoma City for Game Three on Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
