Apr 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) during the third quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined to score 69 points, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 118-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday and a five-game series win in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Oklahoma City advances to a Western Conference semifinal series against the Spurs. Game 1 will be Saturday at San Antonio.
Westbrook racked up 36 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists Monday, shooting 13-for-23 from the floor. Durant scored 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Steven Adams added 15 points and 10 boards.
Dirk Nowitzki paced Dallas with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Dwight Powell came off the bench to score 16 points and grab nine rebounds. Justin Anderson added 14 points in the loss.
With 7:50 left in the game, Nowitzki cut the Thunder’s lead to 101-98. Dallas got the ball back but missed two open 3-pointers that would have tied the game.
Westbrook was fouled and hit a pair of free throws. After Dallas’ J.J. Barea missed a jumper, Westbrook drained another shot to put the Thunder up 105-98.
Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson came up with a block, and it led to another Westbrook jumper with 5:05 left.
The Mavericks Raymond Felton finally ended the run with an off-balance bucket. Dallas got the ball back, and Nowitzki drained a 3-pointer from the corner.
Westbrook took a long 3-point attempt that was off target. Roberson got the rebound and put-back.
On their next possession, the Thunder missed three shots but got the rebound each time. Durant finally knocked down a mid-range jumper and was fouled in the process. Nowitzki was called for a technical foul. The ensuing free throws gave the Thunder an 113-103 lead with 2:49 left. That was enough to put the game away.
Westbrook began the night like a man on a mission. Whether it was knocking down his jumper or driving the baseline for dunks, he had the Dallas defense on its heels. He ended the opening quarter with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Oklahoma City pushed its lead to 13 points before Dallas began to whittle it down. Led by Nowitzki, the Mavs got the deficit down to a single basket with 2:32 left in the first half.
However, the Thunder outscored the Mavs 13-8 down the stretch and grabbed a 68-61 halftime advantage.
Oklahoma City was unable to pull away for much of the second half. Every time Durant, Westbrook or Dion Waiters put the home team ahead by more than 10, the Mavs found a way to claw back to within striking distance. Despite only having 10 players in uniform, the Mavericks kept on battling back.
NOTES: Dallas F David Lee missed Monday’s game due to a right heel injury. He played through the pain in Games 3 and 4 but was in a walking boot Monday. … Dallas C Salah Mejri sat out Monday due to with a hip flexor injury. “I don’t think there was any setback,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “He got his hip wrenched the other night or strained. He did a few things this morning and tried to warm up. He’s not going to be able to go and help us.” … Dallas G Deron Williams was out for Game 5 due to a sports hernia. … Even though Oklahoma City F Kevin Durant isn’t having a great postseason in terms of scoring, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said he adds more to the game than points. “I think the one thing for me with Kevin that I’ve always tried to explain to him, and he’s been great with this, there is so much more to his game,” Donovan said. “I think he’s rebounded the ball better, his assists are up. I think there’s a lot of different ways he can impact the game.”
