Mavericks avoid collapse, hold off Thunder for Game 3 victory - USATODAY.com

Mavericks avoid collapse, hold off Thunder for Game 3 victory - USATODAY.com: "They led by 23 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals — just as they did on the road in a first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers— but had to hold on for a 93-87 win Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-1 series lead.
After losing home-court advantage by losing Game 2 at home, the Mavs have wrestled it back, as they prevailed despite Dirk Nowitzki's off night.
Game 4 is here Monday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
BOX SCORE: Mavericks 93, Thunder 87
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'We just played off our defense, moved the ball, got some good shots,' Nowitzki said. 'We really had to grind it out in the second half. I thought we fought through some stuff and kept our composure when they made a run and made some big plays down the stretch.'"

Winning without Dirk Nowitzki at his best a good sign for Mavericks - BostonHerald.com

Winning without Dirk Nowitzki at his best a good sign for Mavericks - BostonHerald.com: "OKLAHOMA CITY - This is how different Game 3 of the Western Conference finals was from Game 1. In the game’s 41st minute Saturday night, Dirk Nowitzki reached double figures in points.

And the fact that the Mavericks survived a scary Oklahoma City rally to win, 93-87, says it all about what this Dallas team is capable of doing right now.

Nowitzki went on to finish with 18 points, scoring 10 in the final quarter. But this was the antithesis of Game 1, in which he scored 48 points, missed three shots from the field and made an NBA record 24-of-24 free throws."