The Dallas Mavericks are a frustrating team. They started off the game so strong... in fact, they lead for the entire first half. They shot near 60% for the half, went into the locker room, came out, and lost the lead. The Thunder apparently figured out how to make there defense work against the Mavericks, and shut them down. In the first half, Dallas played transition basketball. When the game slowed down, so did the scoring.
Even with 5 players in double digits, and a season-high 25 from Shawn Marion, the Mavericks couldn't bring it home. This is the first game in a long while that Tyson Chandler got a double double (14/18) and Dallas didn't win. For some reason it feels like the team had way more turnovers than they actually had (14).DeShawn Stevenson, ever the gritty player, managed to drop three 3-pointers in the last minute of the game, and while it made the score respectable, it just wasn't enough.
As for the Thunder, the highest-scoring duo in the league, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, combined for 43 points. Scary statistic of the night? OKC had 13 steals. That's some fancy handwork.
Until BG gets back and gets his recap posted, feel free to discuss/lament below.
We miss you, Dirk. And Caron.