As dominant as the Oklahoma City Thunder have been this season, they seem to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to late controversial calls.
The Thunder trailed by a point with 46 seconds remaining Tuesday night when Dallas center Ian Mahinmi appeared to cleanly block Serge Ibaka’s shot, but the whistle was blown for a foul, much to the dismay of Mahinmi and Rick Carlisle.
Ibaka made both free throw attempts and the Thunder never looked back as they took the season series from the Mavericks with a 95-91 victory, their 13th straight home win. OKC went 3-1 vs. the defending champs this season.
Defense prevailed much of the night for Dallas as it held the combination of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden to a combined 16-of-49 from the field. However, the Thunder managed to get to the line 33 times and made sure they took advantage, converting 29.
Dirk Nowitzki had another big night with 27 points and kept the Mavericks in the game with one big shot after another in the fourth quarter. But the lack of late execution by Dallas and the defense of the Thunder proved to be the ultimate deciding factor in the loss.
From Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “Each time he drained a 3-pointer in the decisive fourth quarter, Dirk Nowitzki turned and raised both arms. He extended three fingers on each hand toward the sky, starting with his thumbs. The Dallas Mavericks star’s signature celebration came complete with a snarl after each of his four long-distance bombs. It was as close to taunting as a player can get. And since it was totally legal, the Thunder, and the 18,203 fans inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, just had to live with it. “I don’t particularly care for it, but that’s part of the game,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of Nowitzki’s showboating. “In order to stop the celebration, you’ve got to just stop ’em.” So that’s what the Thunder did. Once again, Oklahoma City clamped down defensively in crunch time. And once again, the Thunder used that formula to emerge victorious, this time clinching a 95-91 win over the Mavericks on Monday night. After his final 3-pointer splashed through the net to give the Mavs a four-point lead with 2:46 remaining, Nowitzki was pressured into a missed fadeaway from the left baseline and an errant pass that sailed out of bounds on back-to-back possessions. Those two sequences illustrated how imposing the Thunder’s defense was down the stretch. OKC held Dallas to 9-for-21 shooting in the fourth quarter. The Thunder put the finishing touches on a tough-nosed victory by shutting out the Mavs in the final two minutes, when Dallas missed its final four shots and turned it over twice. “I thought our defense in the second half was outstanding against a very savvy, veteran team that really knows how to play and pass,” Brooks said. The Thunder bounced back from a heartbreaking defeat at Atlanta to move to 7-1 after a loss and 30-8 on the season”
As for the officiating, much was said afterward that will surely lead to some fines by the league.
From Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas: “Five of Oklahoma City’s final eight points came at the free-throw line and it outscored Dallas 14-2 from the line in the fourth quarter. “We don’t get the benefit of the whistle,” Kidd said. “I don’t think we’re looked upon as champions, but that’s a whole other story. Dirk (Nowitzki) should live at the line if they would call it the way it’s supposed to be. But, he doesn’t.” Nowitzki got to the free throw line just three times… Carlisle believed Nowitzki — who described the Mahinmi foul call as “brutal” — got hacked without a call being made after the critical foul called on Mahinmi. “I’m in disbelief that there was a foul call on Mahinmi,” Carlisle said. “I just watched the play five times; I mean it’s a block. It’s an enormous play. And then Nowitzki gets hit on the arm at the other end and there’s no call. So, I’m at a loss. I apologize for that.” The Thunder’s 6-foot-10 Ibaka went up for a short hook in the lane and was challenged by the 6-foot-11 Mahinmi and his outstretched right arm. Mahinmi said he thought he got all ball, a play that could have given Dallas possession while maintaining its 91-90 lead. But the whistle blew and Ibaka made both free throws for a 92-91 Thunder lead… Oklahoma City held a 15-2 edge in free throw attempts in the decisive fourth quarter, and held a 33-10 edge in attempts overall for a 19-point advantage. “Thirty-three to 10? Thirty-three free throws to 10, can I explain that?” Carlisle said. “They get to the free throw line a lot, but I don’t want to be accusatory to the officials. But, I thought our guys were aggressive enough to deserve a few more chances.” After Mahinmi was whistled for the call, Kidd pled Mahinmi’s case to referee Pat Fraher, to no avail. “He didn’t foul him. It was a bad call. Clean block,” Kidd said. “I just said (to Fraher) it wasn’t a foul. He blocked the ball and after the play he said he bumped him with his body. I don’t think so. It was a bad night for the officials. It happens.”
The Mavericks have now lost six of eight, dropping them into a tie with Denver for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
In another exhilarating game in the Western Conference, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin went at it again and Love came out on top again for the third time this season in what is becoming a historical campaign for the fourth year power forward.
From Kent Youngblood of Star Tribune: “This, Kevin Love said afterwards, is his time. But what does that mean? After he scored 39 points in a 95-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Target Center, in front of the Timberwolves’ sixth sellout crowd this season, Love explained. Others had played well for the Wolves coming out of the All-Star break. “The past two games, it’s been my time,” he said. Guess so. Saturday, Love scored 42 at Portland. Monday, he fell a point short of becoming the first Wolves player with back-to-back 40-point games. Guess he’ll have to settle for his 13th game with 30 or more. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Love became the first player in NBA history to record 35 points, 10 rebounds and hit five three-pointers in consecutive games. In the continuing sage of Love’s ever-expanding game, we’re seeing another step — consistent crunch-time production, putting the team on his shoulders and bulling his way to victories. In a relentlessly physical game against a Clippers team that never quit, Love opened the game with 16 first-quarter points, then ended it with nine in the fourth quarter, including six of the Wolves’ final seven. The last two came on a drive into the lane with 43.4 seconds left that gave the Wolves a 95-90 lead. Of course, it wasn’t over. A Martell Webster turnover became two Chris Paul free throws with 29.1 seconds left. With 2.7 seconds left, Paul was fouled by Derrick Williams on a three-point attempt. Paul hit the first one, then the second. But he missed the third. Ricky Rubio got the rebound and was fouled with 1.8 seconds left. He missed both free throws — the second on purpose — but the Clippers weren’t able to get a quality shot off. “I was perfect from the line [until then] and I missed it,” Paul said of his miss. “It’s tough. I wanted it, I wanted the ball, I want to be in that situation.” The result: The Wolves (20-19) are back over .500 with their fourth consecutive home victory.”
The Clippers are now 7-7 without Chauncey Billups and dropped to fourth in the West, a half-game below the Lakers, who assumed first place in the Pacific Division.
Back in the East, two teams on six-game winning streaks collided as the Bulls hosted the Pacers in a supposed rivalry game that wasn’t. The last time the teams met, Indiana won and Chicago let it be known that it was unhappy with the way the Pacers celebrated after. However, the game was a testament to the resiliency of the Bulls rather than trying to show up the Pacers.
From K.C. Johnson of Chicago Tribune: “In the end, it didn’t matter who celebrated and who didn’t. All the talk about rivalry or not fell aside. What mattered is the Bulls, down players and energy, again pushed through all to post their seventh straight victory, a 92-72 decision over a physical Pacers team. “Whoever we’re facing, that’s who our rival is that night,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. That mindset is a big reason why the Bulls own the NBA’s best record at 32-8. It’s a big reason why, when C.J. Watson sits with a sprained left ankle and an errant Derrick Rose leaves with two first-quarter fouls, unheralded John Lucas III scores nine first-half points. The approach is why Ronnie Brewer can finish with 12 points and seven rebounds on a night Richard Hamilton exits just 83 seconds after tipoff with a right shoulder injury that will be re-examined Tuesday. The Bulls’ focus and mental toughness is why they can snap the Pacers’ six-game win streak even though Indiana rested here on Sunday night while the Bulls battled in Philadelphia. It’s even why Rose and Luol Deng can rebound from a poor first half — Rose shot 1-for-9; Deng 1-for-7 — for a third-quarter 3-point barrage that turned the game in a 20-4 run. “If things aren’t going our way, our guys will hang tough, keep battling and try to change it,” Thibodeau said. “And that’s what they did.” Deng scored a team-high 20 points. Rose added 13 points and nine assists despite resting in the fourth quarter. “I’ve shot worse than that (first half) before,” Rose said. “I wasn’t worried about it.” Joakim Noah, who had escalated the stakes late Sunday with colorful comments about outcelebrating Roy Hibbert, finished with 17 rebounds and helped hold Hibbert to two points. The Bulls enjoyed a 60-32 rebounding advantage and 20-4 edge in second-chance points.”
After tonight, Chris Sheridan’s most recent power rankings look pretty sharp.
Elsewhere …
- The Jazz defeated the host Cavaliers, 109-100, to snap a six-game losing streak. Al Jefferson led the way with 25 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and zero turnovers. Gordon Hayward, coming off the bench for the first time this season, adjusted to his new role by adding 23 points to tie his season high. Kyrie Iriving and Antawn Jamison scored 22 apiece for the Cavs, who could not avoid their sixth consecutive loss, including four straight at home.
- The Warriors got out to a rare fast start on the road — scoring 41 first-quarter points — and never looked back against the lowly Wizards to win, 120-100. Golden State made a season best 15-of-23 from the 3-point line, including buzzer-beaters by Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry in the second and third quarters, respectively. Ellis paced the win with 25 points and Curry made an unlikely return from a sprained foot to contribute 12 points off the bench. Ekpe Udoh scored 17 points and was pronounced the starting center for the remainder of the season as Andris Biedrins continues the most forgettable season of his career. John Wall had 20 points and 14 assists in the losing effort while Andray Blatche continued to be embarrassingly booed by the home crowd.
- The Magic narrowly defeated the Raptors on the road, 92-88. Dwight Howard dominated the paint with 36 points on 16-of-20 shooting and 13 rebounds while Ryan Anderson added 19 points and 13 boards. Orlando had a tough shooting night as it managed only 9-of-28 from the arc, but J.J. Redick hit the dagger 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to seal it. With the win, the Magic overtook the Pacers for the third seed in the East.
- The host Bucks withstood a furious comeback to defeat the Sixers, 97-93, for just their third win in 12 games. Beno Udrih scored just six points but hit what proved to be the game-winning shot with just under a minute left. Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 33 points and seven assists, Drew Gooden had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Ersan Ilyasova added 11 points and 18 boards. The Sixers have lost eight of 10, leaving the race for the Atlantic Division up for grabs, with the Celtics 1 1/2 games back and the Knicks three games behind.
- Raymond Felton returned to the starting lineup and led the charge with 11 points and 10 assists as the Trail Blazers easily defeated the visiting Hornets, 86-74, to end a three-game losing streak. Nicolas Batum led five scorers in double figures with 19 points and Marcus Camby made the difference in the paint with 16 rebounds in just 25 minutes. It was a much-needed victory for Portland, which now goes on a difficult seven-game road trip. The injury-ridden Hornets have dropped six of their last eight and remain the worst team in the Western Conference.