Thunder at Mavericks
THE STORY: Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks dealt the Oklahoma City Thunder a stunning blow in Game 4 of the NBA's Western Conference final. The Mavericks look to finish the job Wednesday as they host the deflated Thunder with a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. A victory would move Dallas into the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS: Down 15 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Dallas stormed back against an overwhelmed Oklahoma City defense - and as expected, Nowitzki led the charge. The 7-footer scored nine straight points during a stretch that cut the deficit to two, then tied things up on a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining. Jason Kidd hit the dagger in OT, a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left that gave Dallas the lead for good. The win extended the Mavs' road winning streak in the playoffs to five games, setting them up to win the conference title at home. Nowitzki finished with 40 points and has been next to impossible to contain all series long.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: The Thunder played what might have been their worst five minutes of the playoffs during Dallas' improbable comeback. the defense had no answer for Nowitzki, while the offense fell flat. Kevin Durant finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds but had his attempt at a go-ahead 3-pointer blocked by Shawn Marion in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists but had yet another string of questionable shot attempts that ultimately cost his team a chance at wrapping things up in regulation. The duo will need to be better if Oklahoma City plans on extending the series.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Even with a 7-for-21 performance in Game 3, Nowitzki is shooting 56 percent (41 for 73) from the field against the Thunder - and a ridiculous 50 for 52 from the free-throw line. Thunder C Serge Ibaka had five blocks Monday night, giving him eight in the past two games. Denver as a team has just six blocks in that span.
KEY STATISTIC: 12 - Nowitzki's points-per-game average in the fourth quarter against the Thunder. He matched that number in the fourth period of Game 4, helping lead the Mavericks back from certain defeat.
LAST WORD: Durant had a career-high nine turnovers in Game 4. The Thunder finished with 25 turnovers as a team.