Mavericks go small, sneak past Thunder

DALLAS — Making a rare start at center, Dirk Nowitzki delivered for the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Nowitzki overcame foul trouble to tie a season high with 30 points, and he carried the Mavericks to a 112-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center.

With regular center Tyson Chandler out, Nowitzki moved from power forward and made eight of 13 shots, including two of three 3-pointers. He also sank all 12 of his free throws.

“We had to adjust a little bit,” Nowitzki said. “Without Tyson, who’s our warrior, our rim protector, we were struggling at times to keep the (Oklahoma City) guys in front of us, but I thought we battled.”

The Thunder (15-17) failed in a bid to reach .500 for the first time this season despite another valiant effort without star forward Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City is 3-3 in its latest significant stretch without the reigning MVP.

Russell Westbrook is routinely coming up big for the Thunder, but the point guard missed 17 of 23 shots and committed five turnovers Sunday. He finished with 18 points, nine assists, nine rebounds and five steals, but he committed five turnovers.

Oklahoma City lost the ball repeatedly in the final few minutes of what until then was a back-and-forth fourth quarter.

“Both teams really competed tonight,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “I thought we left everything on the floor. I know they were playing a lot of smaller lineups, but our guys really competed, and we had some tough breaks at the end of the game.

“We’ve just got to get better. We’ve got to do a better job of executing. We’ve got to do a better job of getting better shots down the stretch.”

Nowitzki picked up his fifth foul less than a minute into the fourth quarter and sat for more than five minutes. His free throws with 3:25 left gave Dallas the lead, and his jumper made it 106-102.

“We had some timely baskets, some timely great stops,” Nowitzki said.

Thunder guard Reggie Jackson followed with a step-back 3-pointer late in the shot clock to cut the deficit to one, but the visitors never led again.

“They converted or got to the line on the mistakes we made,” Westbrook said. “That got them the win.”

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle turned to a three-guard lineup with Chandler out. The backcourt of Rajon Rondo (15 points, seven assists), Monta Ellis (18 points) and J.J. Barea (nine points) not only pushed the tempo, but also helped alleviate the lack of big-man depth.

“We knew coming in we weren’t going to pound them in the paint,” Nowitzki said. “We need to shoot the ball well, we need to spread them out. They have great shot blockers, great inside protection, so we felt like we wanted to move the ball, screen and roll, move it to the other side and find the open shooters. It was a good thing we got hot.”

Oklahoma City took advantage of its size and dominated on the glass, outrebounding Dallas 53-37. Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 26 points, while Jackson scored 21 off the bench.

Dallas (22-10) went into the fourth down by six but regained the lead at 92-90 on an 11-2 run capped by Rondo’s crosscourt bounce pass to forward Charlie Villanueva for corner 3-pointer.

The Mavericks started the game strong, ripping off an early 8-0 run and taking a 17-8 lead on forward Chandler Parsons’ first of three 3-pointers in the opening period. Parsons scored 15 of his 26 points in the first quarter, and Dallas led by as many as 10.

The Thunder fell behind by 12 in the first minute of the second quarter before Westbrook and Jackson led a charge. Oklahoma City went up 52-49 on Westbrook’s jumper to force a Dallas timeout.

The Mavericks responded with an 11-0 run and went into the break leading 64-58. Parsons, Nowitzki and Ellis each scored at least 14 in the first half.

Ibaka knocked down two 3-pointers in the third, and the Thunder ended to the quarter with a 7-0 run for an 88-81 edge. Oklahoma City outscored Dallas 30-17 in the period.

The Mavericks complete their three-game homestand Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, while Oklahoma City returns home to play host to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

NOTES: Dallas C Tyson Chandler (back spasms) was out, but the team said the injury is not serious. It was the first game Chandler missed this season. … Thunder F Kevin Durant (sprained ankle) missed his sixth consecutive game despite returning to practice Saturday and going through the Sunday morning shootaround. “Every day he’s progressing well,” Brooks said. … Dallas’ Rick Carlisle coached in his 1,000th career game and improved to 591-409. “I’ve had the privilege and great fortune of great owners in three places. And I’ve had some great players,” said Carlisle, who also had stints with the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. … Dallas G Raymond Felton was active for the first time this season. He played one scoreless minute. … Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki needs 58 points to pass Moses Malone for seventh on the all-time scoring list.