Dallas takes Game 3, 93-87
The Thunder make a furious late-game charge, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Mavericks in Oklahoma City.
The Dallas Mavericks jumped out to a 35-12 lead early in the second quarter then held on for dear life as the Oklahoma City Thunder cut that 23-point margin down to just four late in the game. Earlier in the playoffs the Mavs blew a 23-point lead at Portland and went on to lose the game but they held on in OKC to take Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals 93-87. Neither Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant (24 points on 7-for-22 shooting) nor Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (18 points on 7-for-21) had particularly good nights.
The Thunder were 0-for-16 on 3-pointers, a playoff record for futility, before Russell Westbrook dropped one in from beyond the arc in the last minute. Oklahoma City outscored Dallas 51-41 in the second half but it wasn't enough. Nowitzki and Shawn Marion led the Mavs with 18 points. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry added 13. Center Tyson Chandler came up big with 15 rebounds, six on the offensive end. Westbrook led the Thunder with 30 points and Durant added 24 and pulled down 12 rebounds but no one else in a home uniform scored in double figures.
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