Mavericks 100, Thunder 96
Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion had 26 points apiece as the Dallas Mavericks wrapped up the Western Conference final Wednesday with a 100-96 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dallas staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback for the second consecutive time to clinch the series in five games. The Mavericks, who advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006, will face the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls.
The Thunder led for most of the fourth quarter but fell behind 95-94 with 1:14 left on a Nowitzki 3-pointer from the top of the arc. After Nick Collison's attempted save of a loose ball ended up in a turnover on the ensuing possession, Marion charged down the court and converted a layup while being fouled. Marion converted the free throw to give the Mavericks a four-point lead.
The Thunder closed to within two but Nowitzki finished things off with a pair of foul shots as Dallas improved to 10-1 in its last 11 playoff games.
Russell Westbrook had 31 points to lead the Thunder while Kevin Durant and James Harden added 23 apiece.
With Oklahoma City leading 55-52 at halftime, The Thunder and Mavericks played a tightly contested third quarter until Westbrook connected on back-to-back shots with just over a minute left for a 76-72 lead through three. Westbrook had 12 points in the quarter but also picked up his sixth technical foul of the playoffs for shoving Dallas guard Jason Terry out of bounds.
A Durant 3-pointer made it a seven-point game with 9:47 left, and Oklahoma City remained in control until the Mavericks used seven straight free throws to close to within two at the four-minute mark.