+2
The Dallas Mavericks got 25 points from Jason Terry but dropped a 95-86 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
More: Mavs fall short against the Thunder
The Dallas Mavericks made a run late but couldn't get enough offense from its key components as they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 95-86.
Dallas got a great game off the bench from Jason Terry who finished with 25 points while shooting 7-10 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line. They just didn't get much of anything else from any of the other Mavericks regulars. Shawn Marion added 12 points and 10 rebounds while Brandan Wright also chipped in 12 points. Dirk Nowitzki scored just eight points and was an uncharacteristic 2-15 from the field in the game.
Russell Westbrook finished with a game-high 33 points including a three-pointer with just 35 seconds remaining that put the lead out of reach for the Thunder. Kevin Durant added 23 points and 13 boards while James Harden chipped in 10 points off the bench.
For more on this game Thunder fans should check out Welcome To Loud City and Mavericks fans should stop by Mavs Moneyball. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.
Since being blown out by the San Antonio Spurs 93-71 on Jan. 5, the Dallas Mavericks have turned their season around, winning 12 of 15 games, with two of their losses coming on buzzer-beating three-pointers from the LA Clippers and the LA Lakers.
But while Dallas has integrated five new players into their rotation while dealing with a host of injuries, the Oklahoma City Thunder have raced out to a 16-4 record, the best in the NBA.
They travel down I-35 Wednesday night in what should be a revealing look at where the new-look Mavericks compare to the top of the Western Conference. The two teams have split the season series so far, with Oklahoma City winning at home on a buzzer-beater from Kevin Durant on Dec. 29 and Dallas holding serve 100-87 at the American Airlines Center on Jan. 2.
The Mavericks will be without Jason Kidd, but that may be a blessing in disguise against an athletic Thunder back-court, as Rodrigue Beaubois and Delonte West have played extremely well together in the starting line-up.
Dallas will need a big game from Dirk Nowitzki, who has struggled over most of the last month with a lingering knee injury, to keep pace with Kevin Durant, the NBA's third leading scorer at 26.8 points per game.
The 7:00 PM game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
For more coverage of the Mavericks, check out Mavs Moneyball while Welcome To Loud City has all the pre-game analysis from Oklahoma City.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
•
Odds Shark 
Photographs by
jamesbrandon,
jdtornow,
phlezk,
flygraphix,
mcdlttx,
tomasland, and
literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.
Mark Cuban Is Angry At NBA Referees, Part 1000
by Brett Perryman
Rick Carlisle did not approve of the officiating in the Mavericks' home loss to the NBA's best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, last night. After drawing a technical earlier in the second half, he angrily kicked the ball into the baseline crowd (admittedly aiming at chipping it to the official at a high rate of speed) after another no-call went against his guys and was ejected. He took a moment to apologize to the fans who received his ball of anger, then departed via the midcourt exit.
Carlisle's antics were pretty rare for him, but they were indicative of what Dallas thought of the performance by Ron Garretson, Michael Smith and Mark Ayotte. Terry Stotts did plenty of yelling himself, as he coached the Mavs back to a tie late in the fourth only to see them lose by nine, and so did Mark Cuban.
Cuban wasn't finished when the game was over, however.
It was one of the worst nights of Dirk Nowitzki's career. It wasn't Carlisle's best night, and whether or not Cuban should have said it to the media, I have to agree that it was certainly not Ron Garretson's crew's best.
quotes courtesy of Tim McMahon's postgame story
Feb 02 7:38a