| |
|
NBA -- Thunder dismiss Mavs, set semis showdown with Spurs
By Homer D. Sayson PhilBoxing.com Wed, 27 Apr 2016

CHICAGO -- With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant providing a lethal 1-2 punch, the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, winning Game 5 of their opening round series, 118-104 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook fell one assist shy of a triple-double with 36 points, 12 rebounds and 9 dimes while Durant drilled 11 of 24 field goals for 33 points as the Thunder closed out the best-of-7 affair, 4-1.
The triumph set the stage for a Western Conference semifinals showdown between the No.3 seed Thunder and the No.1 ranked San Antonio Spurs, who advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 4-0 sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Playing on a blistering pace, the Thunder shot 50.6 percent from the field (41-of-81) and 33.3 percent from 3-point range (10-of-30). Steven Adams played well manning the paint -- 15 points and 10 rebounds -- while Dion Waiters chipped in 11 points from the bench.
The defeat sent the Mavs off to early vacation. But they didn't go out without a fight.
"We battled hard. We battled unbelievably hard even to get to the sixth seed, winning six in a row when everybody thought we were dead. So I'm proud of the guys. We gave it all we had," said Dirk Nowitzki, who led Dallas' gallant stand with 24 points.
Despite playing without Chandler Parsons (torn meniscus), David Lee (partial plantar fascists tear) and Deron Williams (sports hernia), the Mavs inched to within 101-98 with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter. But the Thunder silenced the uprising with a 15-5 run that put OKC ahead 116-103 in the final 53 seconds.
Photo: Dirk Nowitzki finds himself surrounded by two OKC players on Monday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in OKC where the Thunder advanced to the second round of playoffs by dispatching the Mavericks in five games.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Traya eyes KO win against Thai tomorrow By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Navarrete's Future in Question as He Resists Rematch with Charly Suarez By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Davao's Corteza beats Biado, Aranas enters round-of-32 in P2 Million Bata Reyes 10 Ball Open By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: The Growth of Boxing By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Toshihiko Era Retains WBF Asia Strap in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Boxlab Promotions Signs Rising Cuban Prospects Ronny Alvarez and Pedro Veitia , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Boxing Legend & Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas , Fri, 29 Aug 2025Vayson vies for WBA/WBO titles By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Mexican "The Rock" Zamora, three-time female world champion with 20 world championship fights, retires By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025“I’M ONLY GETTING BETTER”: CONFIDENT PAT McCORMACK PLOTS HUGE HOMECOMING WIN OVER MIGUEL PARRA TO SPARK WORLD TITLE CHARGE , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Heart of a Lion: 'Lucky Boy' Reymark Alicaba Earns Praise Despite Loss by Points in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Dante Kirkman Looks to be the First Fighter to Stop Dylan Carlson , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Shawn Darling Inducted into New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Arca wins 13th Mindanao Open chessfest By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Carzano rules FIDE-Rated Open Rapid Chess Tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Pythons-Primo wins 5 golds, 3 silvers, 2 bronzes in Kadayawan judo By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 28 Aug 2025Crawford to Be Stripped of WBA Title Once He Climb the Ring to Fight Canelo By Dong Secuya, , Wed, 27 Aug 2025Sebastian Juarez Remains Undefeated with Captivating 4th Round TKO Over Louis Hernandez , Wed, 27 Aug 2025Jajaira Gonzalez Prepared to Meet the Moment at 2025 World Boxing Championships , Wed, 27 Aug 20252 Division & Former Unified World Champion Juan Francisco Estrada Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas , Wed, 27 Aug 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 25 AUGUST 2025 By Eric Armit, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Magpily rules PH National Women's Elimination - Luzon Leg By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Carlos De Leon Shines with 2nd Round TKO, Remains Undefeated on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 14 , Tue, 26 Aug 2025GM Daniel Quizon Wins 4th Edition Eduardo B. Basilonia Touchmove Open Invitational Rapid Chess Tournament; pockets P100,000 By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 26 Aug 2025Good Luck, Lucky Boy Reymark Alicaba! By Carlos Costa, , Mon, 25 Aug 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|