DALLAS, Sporting Alert – Kevin Durant scored 34 points and combined with Russell Westbrook to score 60, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 131-102 in Game 3 of their first-round series on Thursday night.
OKC leads the series 2-1. Download Game Box Score
Meanwhile, Durant, who was coming off one of the worst shooting display of his playoff career in the Game 2 defeat, finished the night shooting 11-for-25 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds.
“I don’t know if he’s ever missed 26 shots in a game in his life,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.
“The question is, `Did we make it as hard on him as we could?’ And that’s why I need to watch the film to get an objective view of that.”
Durant said: “When I play well, I don’t throw a party for myself afterward.
“If I play terrible, I’m not going to go out and change anything up. I’m going to go out there and do the same thing I’ve been doing.”
Westbrook, who shockingly finished the contest without a single rebound, added 26 points and dished out 15 assists for the Thunder, with Enes Kanter finishing with a playoff career-high 21 points off the bench on 6-for-7 shooting and collected eight rebounds in the win.
Dion Waiters had 19 points and connected on 4-for-8 from 3-point range, with Serge Ibaka ending with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks for Oklahoma City, which outrebounded Dallas 42-30 while scoring 15 fast break points to the hosts’ 12.
Wesley Matthews led the way for the Mavericks with 22 points and Raymond Felton shot 8-for-15 from the field for 18 points for Dallas, which never led and struggled to keep up with the pace of the fast flowing travelers.
Dirk Nowitzki, playing despite a right knee bruise, had 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, J.J. Barea, back in the line-up after missing Game 2 with a strained groin, chipped in with 15 points and seven assists while Justin Anderson scored 12 points for Dallas (1-2) which shot 47.4 percent from the field.
Point guard Deron Williams didn’t play, while Chandler Parsons has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
“The way we won Game 2 was it was a slower-paced game for us, kind of grind it out,” Nowitzki said.
“It’s going to be tough for us win a game if they score 131 points. I don’t think we can score 131 right now with the team we roll out there, the injuries.”
The Thunder made 15-of-27 from long-range for 56 percent while the team shot 58 percent from the floor overall.
Durant scored 20 points in the first half and the Thunder led 58-48.
