Thunder bounce back, take Game 3 in Dallas

Oklahoma City’s blowout victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 showed just how big the gap is between these two teams in terms of talent and athleticism. So naturally the Mavericks bounced back and stole Game 2, largely thanks to the worst shooting performance of Kevin Durant’s career. Overreactions immediately ensued. Clearly the Thunder aren’t ready to compete with the elite teams.

Not to worry. Thursday night in Dallas, the Thunder got their groove back with a 131-102 victory in Game 3, and in doing so re-established the dominance we saw in the first game and snatched home-court advantage back away from Rick Carlisle’s squad. We saw a few things that should be able to carry over to the rest of this series and could have an impact on the next round if/when the Thunder face off against the Spurs.

Here are three things to know about Thunder-Mavs Game 3:

1. When the stars align, the Thunder look elite

Kevin Durant’s Game 2 struggles didn’t carry over into Game 3. His efficiency still wasn’t great (11 for 25), but Durant finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and his getting to the free throw line 11 times put pressure on the Mavs and their thin rotation.

Russell Westbrook had a big night as well, scoring 26 points (9-of-16 shooting) and dishing out 15 assists. When the Mavs were trying to get back into the game in the second half, Westbrook had a sequence in which he knocked down a couple of 3-pointers to push the lead back into the OKC comfort zone. This is when the Thunder can beat anyone. Dealing with the firepower of these two when they both have it going on the same night is just really tough.

And yet, when Durant and Westbrook both scored at least 25 points in a game this season, the Thunder were …

continue reading in source www.cbssports.com