Dallas Mavericks go cold late, come up short against Oklahoma City
At the worst possible time Wednesday night, for some odd reason, the Dallas Mavericks decided to go ice cold from the field.
With their Red River shootout against Oklahoma City still hanging in the balance, the Mavericks lost their grip and went on to suffer a 116-103 defeat at the hands of the Thunder at American Airlines Center.
The loss dropped the Mavericks to 30-28 on the season, and they also wound up getting swept in their season series against the Thunder 4-0. In addition, this was the sixth loss in the past eight games for the Mavs, who have slipped to seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
“I don’t look at the standings that much,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’m looking at how we’re playing. I didn’t like the way we played in the first and the fourth quarters tonight.”
After taking a 74-71 lead late in the third quarter, the Mavs missed 19 of their next 22 shots — including 14 in a row. During that same span, the Thunder converted 10 of 13 shots and broke the game open by assuming a 100-81 lead, which eventually grew to 105-83.
The loss spoiled the debut of David Lee, whom the Mavs signed to a $2.1 million free agent contract Monday. Lee played 15 minutes and collected four points, four rebounds and two assists.
Lee had an impact almost immediately when he entered the game with 5:26 remaining in the first period. The 11-year veteran grabbed an offensive rebound, tossed the ball out, got it back, and scored less than a minute into his first appearance as a Mavs player.
“He’s not going to be in tip-top shape right off the bat because he hasn’t played, but he’s a hard worker.
“There have been times when we’ve struggled to score. You guys heard me talk about that all the time, particularly this second unit. Hopefully this helps solve that.”
We can’t rely on that fact that we’re playing at home. We need to continue to play with an edge and play like we’re on the road and put together 48 minutes.
Wesley Matthews two games into a six-game homestand
Dirk Nowitzki, who had a season-high 33 points, scored six consecutive points to get the Mavericks within 51-49 late in the second period. But the Thunder scored the final seven points of the half, including a 35-footer at the buzzer by Kevin Durant which gave Oklahoma City a 58-51 cushion at the half.
Nowitzki kept the Mavericks close by scoring 11 of his points in the first half.
With Russell Westbrook scoring 10 of his 24 points and adding a pair of assists, the Thunder led by 12 before settling for a 33-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Mavericks are 1-1 on this six-game homestand, a homestand in which guard Wesley Matthews said Dallas can’t count on wins automatically just because they’re playing in a friendly environment.
“Not at all, other than we sleep in our bed,” Matthews said when asked if playing at home is an advantage. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given night in this league. We can’t rely on that fact that we’re playing at home. We need to continue to play with an edge and play like we’re on the road and put together 48 minutes.”
We’ve got to pick it up. These games at home are precious commodities. Oklahoma City is a terrific team, but we can do better than what we did tonight.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle
Matthews, who was on the practice court at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday working on his jump shot with assistant coach Kaleb Canales, was 4-of-8 from 3-point territory through three quarters.
Overall, Matthews was 5-of-11 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points.
“We had a little slippage and that seems to be a trend with us,” Matthews said. “We can’t have slippage. That’s when we have to get tougher that’s when we have to get stronger and be even much together.”
The Mavs rallied and got within 105-97 of the Thunder (41-16) with four minutes left. But 3-pointers by Durant (24 points) and Dion Waiters (14 points) pushed the Thunder lead to 111-98.
Dwain Price: 817-390-7760, @dwainprice
Mavericks vs. Nuggets
7:30 p.m. Friday, FSSW
This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Dallas Mavericks go cold late, come up short against Oklahoma City."