Mavericks 112, Thunder 107
Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 of his season high-tying 30 points during the final five minutes while playing with five fouls as host Dallas prevailed.
Chandler Parsons scored 26 points and Rajon Rondo added 15 points and seven assists for the Mavericks, who lost leading scorer Monta Ellis in the final two minutes to what appeared to be a significant ankle injury. Nowitzki shot 8-of-13 from the floor and hit all 12 free-throws attempts as Dallas won its second straight despite playing without center Tyson Chandler (back spasms).
Serge Ibaka had a season-high 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who entered yielding the fewest points per game (95.5) in the NBA. Reggie Jackson scored 21 points but Russell Westbrook was held to 18 on 6-of-23 shooting as Oklahoma City had its two-game win streak snapped and failed for the third time this month to reach .500.
The clubs traded hoops during much of a tightly-contested fourth quarter until Nowitzki hit two free throws and a patented jumper to give Dallas a four-point edge with 2:53 left. Jackson responded with a 3-pointer, but Nowitzki found Rondo all alone underneath and then canned two more free throws for a 110-105 edge with 65 ticks to play and the Mavericks held on.
Parsons scored 15 points in the first nine minutes as Dallas jumped to an early 11-point lead, but consecutive hoops by Westbrook gave the Thunder a 52-49 lead with five minutes left in the half before the Mavericks scored 10 straight and took a 64-58 lead at the break on a drive by Ellis. The Thunder scored the final seven points of the third for an 88-81 lead before Charlie Villanueva converted an inside hoop and drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Oklahoma City a 92-90 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the contest.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Westbrook had scored at least 25 points in a career-high 11 straight games. … Thunder F Kevin Durant (ankle) sat for a sixth straight game. … Parsons, who scored 23 points in his previous three games, shot 6-of-8 in the first half, including 3-of-4 from the arc.