NBA -- Nowitzki's 32 points silence Thunder in OT
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 26 Mar 2014
CHICAGO -- His days as an MVP may be over, but Dirk Nowitzki still has the brilliance that will one day catapult him to the basketball Hall-of-Fame.
The 7-foot German, now 35, scored 32 points to quiet the rampaging Thunder in overtime, 128-119, Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center. Nowitzki, a 12-time All-Star, also added 10 rebounds and 6 dimes to his haul.
"That was a heck of a game, and it was fun to be a part of it," Nowitzki told NBA.com after the entertaining 53-minute battle where both teams traded big 3s in the final 39.9 seconds of regulation.
But it required a lot more than Nowitzki for Dallas to snap Oklahoma's four-game winning streak. Luckily, six other Mavericks stepped to the plate and scored double figures in points.
Jose Calderon finished with 22, Monta Ellis added 17 and Vince Carter tallied 16. Shawn Marion registered 11 while Samuel Dalembert and Jae Crowder had 10 each.
The Mavericks improved to 43-29 and clung to 8th place in the Western Conference with only a shallow half-game lead over the 42-29 Phoenix Suns, who are scratching at the playoffs door in 9th place.
Leading MVP candidate Kevin Durant sizzled yet again, this time for 43 points. The latest scoring barrage marked the 13th time that KD has scored at least 40 this season, but it wasn't enough to overcome the flood of 17 points the Mavs unleashed in the extra session.
Russell Westbrook dug in for 23 points and 8 helpers for OKC and reserves Derek Fisher and Reggie Jackson chipped in 13 and 11, respectively.
The Thunder's record fell a tad to 52-19, second in the NBA overall behind the top-ranked 54-14 San Antonio Spurs. (Homer D. Sayson)
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