Rising Mavs shoot down slumping Thunder
DALLAS -- Seth Curry scored 22 points to lead the hot-shooting Dallas Mavericks past the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-89 Sunday night at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks (26-36) won for the fourth time in five games, including the first two on a five-game homestand against squads currently in Western Conference playoff position.
That is where the Mavs want to be, and judging by their recent uptick, they have got a chance to get into the top eight. Dallas is only two games behind No. 8 Denver (28-34) with 20 games left in the regular season.
Oklahoma City (35-28) appears to be in good shape to get to the postseason, but there are red flags going into the stretch run. The Thunder lost their third in a row overall and their seventh straight on the road.
NBA leading scorer Russell Westbrook seemed to be thoroughly frustrated by the Mavs, especially by the physical defense of Wesley Matthews. Westbrook scored 29 points, 14 coming in the first period, but shot only 8 of 24 to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
Westbrook also picked up his 14th technical foul on the season and a flagrant-1 foul for shoving Harrison Barnes in the third quarter.
Curry racked up 15 in the first half and hit the 20-point plateau for the fourth consecutive game and the fifth time in the last six. He is averaging 23.3 points in his past six games.
Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki started strong and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double this season. Barnes added 17 points, and Nerlens Noel scored 13 and grabbed five boards off the bench.
The Mavs shot out of the gates on fire, shooting 62.8 percent in the first half to take a 60-50 lead into the break two nights after beating Memphis.
The Thunder went ice cold to open the third quarter, with Matthews particularly getting into Westbrook. Dallas opened up a 23-point lead and cruised to its first win over Oklahoma City since the 2014-15 season.
Center Steven Adams had 19 points for the Thunder, while backup, Enes Kanter, scored 16 and pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Mavs reach the middle point of their homestand Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Oklahoma City returns home for three games beginning Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
NOTES: Asked if Thunder PG Russell Westbrook is in the MVP mix, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said: "He's not." Cuban listed Houston PG James Harden and Cleveland F LeBron James as favorites. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle did say he's in awe of Westbrook's skills. ... Oklahoma City had a five-game winning streak against Dallas snapped. ... Thunder G Victor Oladipo (back spasms) remained in Oklahoma City and missed his sixth consecutive game. ... Thunder G Alex Abrines left the game after being poked in the eye in the first half and did not return. ... The Mavs recalled C A.J. Hammons and G/F Nicolas Brussino from the D-League Texas Legends. Brussino played three scoreless minutes.