The Thunder can put the brooms away and better start learning how to close out games. OKC blew another fourth quarter lead Monday and the huge underdog Mavericks stole a game to knot the best-of-seven series at 1-1 heading back to Big D.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
LOOK AHEAD
Of all the longshots, the Mavericks may have been the longest of them all. In fact they were the biggest underdog to pull off an upset in the NBA playoffs in, maybe, forever. After getting pasted 108-70 in Game 1, the Mavericks, a 14-point dog, did the unimaginable. They knocked off the heavily-favored Thunder 85-84 to even the series and return to Dallas with a big boost of confidence.
So, what happened between Games 1 and 2 to allow the Mavs to knot the series? First of all, they got mean and tough, something that’s not always in their character. Then they went back to the defensive philosophy that carried them in the last three weeks of the regular season to get them to the playoffs in the first place. The Mavericks, as shorthanded as they were, knew the Thunder had a history in the regular season of folding late. OKC had lost 14 games when it had taken a lead into the fourth quarter. Make it 15.
INJURIES
Dallas played Game 2 without guard J.J. Barea and forward David Lee. Both are questionable to play on Thursday. Point guard Deron Williams was declared doubtful for Monday’s game with an abdominal strain, but scored 13 points before sitting from the middle of the third quarter on.
Center Nazr Mohammed didn’t play and forward Mitch McGary wasn’t with the team on Monday. Neither player figures prominently in the Thunder rotation.
KEY MATCHUP
The Mavericks called it stifling defense from Wesley Matthews and others. Kevin Durant said he had an off-night. A bit of both likely figured into Durant’s woeful shooting night as the Thunder couldn’t overcome his 26 missed field attempts and fell by a point in Game 2. It was the worst postseason shooting performance, both by percentage and number of misses, of his career. His 26 misses were the most he’s had in 716 career regular season and playoff games.
Durant looked like Kobe Bryant, hitting on just 7 of 33 shots, including 2 of 11 from three-point range. He did score 21 points, but it was a hollow number. “It was a bad shooting night for me. I got some great looks all night and I just didn’t knock them,” Durant said. K.D. had no problem knocking down shots in Game 1 and you can bet he’ll be locked in on Thursday. I’d hate to have the assignment of defending Durant on Thursday.
QUICK PICK
Durant missed 26 shots, the Thunder connected on just 33.7 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from three-point range as a team, and they were still within a fraction of a second from taking a 2-0 series lead. Give the Mavs some credit, they hung in there, kept the basketball game close and made the plays to get the victory. However they did leave the door open with a pair of missed free throws and failed to get a body on Steven Adams at the end.
Just a few more buckets from the Thunder and their fourth quarter collapse wouldn’t even be an issue. In fact they shouldn’t be anyway. A team takes a slim lead into the final 12 minutes and losses the game isn’t that big of a deal. It won’t be for the Thunder, who respond with a Game 3 victory on the road.
NBA Odds: Oklahoma City 105, Dallas 96
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks will start at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 21, 2016, at the American Airlines Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
