DAL

OKC

Mavericks-Thunder Preview

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 15 2016 1:49PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Dirk Nowitzki's age-defying wizardry has been overlooked lately because of Kobe Bryant.

While the basketball world is still buzzing about the 37-year-old Bryant's 60-point outburst against Utah in his final game, Nowitzki, two months older than Bryant, is still playing. He leads the Dallas Mavericks into their first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Game 1 on Saturday night.

Nowitzki isn't just still playing at 37 - he's thriving. He led the Mavericks with 18.3 points per game this season. The league's No. 6 all-time scorer doesn't fire as often as in years past, but he's still dangerous.

"Physically, he would probably tell you he's not where he was five or six years ago, but he's still finding ways to be effective," 35-year-old Thunder forward Nick Collison said. "They're putting teams in really tough binds with how to guard their actions with a lot of the stuff they can do with his skill set. He's a guy I've got a ton of respect for. He's really good, and he's still doing it after all these years."

Nowitzki's shooting touch for a 7-footer poses matchup problems for most teams. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his knowledge is just as important.

"I think any time, whether it's a Kobe Bryant or a Dirk Nowitzki, guys that have been in the NBA for a long, long time, I think the thing you can never underestimate is their ability and their experience and how many situations these guys have been in, and how they play the game mentally just as much as they play it physically," Donovan said.

Nowitzki has stood in the Thunder's way before: The Mavericks beat Oklahoma City in the 2011 Western Conference finals on their way to the NBA title. The Thunder swept the Mavericks in the first round the next year en route to the NBA Finals.

It's unclear how many more years Nowitzki will play, so Thunder forward Kevin Durant will enjoy the competition while he can.

"Dirk Nowitzki is one of my favorite players to ever play the game, so it's going to be fun playing against him," Durant said.

Here are some things to watch in the series:

THANKFUL DURANT

Kevin Durant bounced back from last year's injury-plagued season to average 28.2 points, a career-high 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season. The four-time scoring champion reflected this week on what life was like 12 months ago while he was recovering from bone graft surgery on his right foot.

"I remember, this time last year, everybody was going home and I was by myself in here with a cast on," Durant said. "That's all I can remember."

WESTBROOK vs. BAREA

Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook and Dallas point guard J.J. Barea had an altercation during their Jan. 13 game, and Westbrook was ejected. Aside from that matchup, Westbrook dominated the season series, averaging 23.7 points, 10.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds in the three full games he played. Barea, normally a backup, has played well lately after stepping in for injured starter Deron Williams. Neither will back down.

DOMINANT THUNDER

The Thunder won all four games against the Mavericks this season, and few are giving Dallas a chance in the series.

"I understand we will be a decided and heavy underdog," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's one of the things that makes this situation compelling. We look forward to the challenge."

TEMPO CONTROL

The Mavericks played fast for much of the season, but they slowed it down late and won seven of their final nine games, never allowing more than 98 points in that stretch after allowing more than 100 in 19 of the previous 21 games. The Thunder want to push the ball - they ranked second in the league with 110.2 points per game.

"This is one of my favorite teams I've ever worked with because they had to do it the hard way," Carlisle said. "They had to do it with a pretty significant style change, some pretty major sacrifices throughout the roster. We had to grind."

COACHING MATCHUP

Carlisle has a championship with the Mavericks and had successful stints in Detroit and Indiana before landing in Dallas. Donovan heads into his first NBA playoff series. Donovan said he's unsure what lies ahead, but he knows pressure from coaching at Florida, where he led the Gators to two national titles.

"A lot of times in college, every game's a game seven. You're dealing with that in the conference tournament, in the NCAA Tournament and sometimes, in a lot of ways, your last five, six, eight games can be like game sevens if you're trying to make the tournament," he said.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

Westbrook, Durant lead Thunder past Mavericks in Game 1

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Apr 17 2016 2:04AM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Thunder scored the first nine points Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Turns out, they were just getting warmed up.

Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 11 assists, Kevin Durant added 23 points, and the Thunder overwhelmed the Mavericks 108-70, opening the Western Conference series with their most dominant postseason performance since moving to Oklahoma City.

"We just wanted to impose our will early," Durant said. "We didn't want to ease into the game. We wanted to be the aggressor."

Serge Ibaka had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Enes Kanter added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder.

It was Oklahoma City's largest victory margin in a playoff game since moving from Seattle before the 2008-09 season, and the lowest point total the franchise has allowed in a postseason game, in Seattle or Oklahoma City.

"That was a shellacking," Dallas guard Devin Harris said. "They came out and hit us. We couldn't make shots. It kind of affected our defense and we really couldn't recover."

Dallas scored its fewest points ever in a playoff game, and its .298 field-goal percentage was the worst ever in a postseason game for a franchise that has existed since 1980.

"We started off missing a couple shots, and we got a little discouraged, I think," Dirk Nowitzki, who led the Mavericks with 18 points, said. "Instead of just playing through it, playing hard, getting back, picking up full court, just making life hard on them, we just went back in our shell a little bit. It's disappointing."

Game 2 will be Monday in Oklahoma City.

"I guess the only positive I take out if this - it's only one game. If you lose by two or by 50, in the playoffs, it's only one game," Nowitzki said. "We've got another crack to steal one on Monday night. We've got to play harder, we've got to play better. It's as simple as that."

The Thunder rolled to a 21-7 lead as Dallas made just three of its first 19 shots. Durant made 4 of 6 shots in the first quarter and scored nine points to help Oklahoma City take a 26-11 lead.

Frustration mounted for the Mavericks, and Nowitzki was called for a technical foul late in the second quarter. Durant made the free throw, then made a 3-pointer on the next possession to push Oklahoma City's lead to 52-23.

The Thunder led 59-33 at halftime. It was the fewest points the Thunder franchise has allowed in the first half of a playoff game since the move from Seattle, and matched the fewest the Mavericks have ever scored in the first half of a playoff game. Dallas shot just 26.2 percent from the field before the break.

The Thunder pushed the lead to 30 on a jumper from Ibaka with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter. The Thunder made 12 of 18 shots in the period to take a 93-51 lead into the fourth quarter.

"I thought we did a great job of coming out with a defensive mindset, especially against a good offensive team," Westbrook said. "We did a great job defensively for 48 minutes."

The Thunder have been in enough playoff games over the years to understand that they need to refocus for Monday's game.

"Each game is different, and we've got to be ready for a different team," Durant said.

INJURY REPORT

Mavericks G J.J. Barea sat out the second half with a right groin strain, the same injury that had limited his play in recent weeks.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said he's unsure of Barea's availability going forward.

"I'm very, very concerned. I think something happened. I don't think it's just tight. I'm afraid something happened."

Thunder F Nick Collison sat out the second half with a chest contusion.

WILLIAMS RETURNS

Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams attended his first game since his wife was killed in a car accident in February. He will not coach the rest of this season, but it meant a lot to the team that he showed up to watch.

"It kind of surprised us in pregame," Durant said. "Good to see him. We miss him so much. He's been a huge part of this whole season for us."

COURTSIDE

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Buddy Hield, the high-scoring guard who led Oklahoma to the Final Four, also attended.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: F David Lee missed this game, and might miss Game 2 with a plantar fascia injury. ... Salah Mejri started at center. The rookie started just six games in the regular season. He finished with one point and four rebounds. ... Missed their first 10 3-pointers. ... Carlisle was called for a technical foul with 4:43 left in the third quarter.

Thunder: G Cameron Payne was inactive with hip soreness. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said it wasn't too severe. ... Improved to 5-0 against Dallas this season. ... Outrebounded the Mavericks 56-33.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.

• Mavericks: Evans, Parsons
• Thunder: McGary, Payne

• Mavericks: Carlisle, Nowitzki
• Thunder: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #6 Tony Brown, #30 John Goble
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:25