At halftime on Monday night at American Airlines Center, the Oklahoma City Thunder led the Dallas Mavericks 63-53 and it appeared the Mavs were headed to a sixth loss over their past nine games.
But that's why they play 48 minutes in the NBA. In the third quarter, Dallas responded, outscoring the Thunder 39-29, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rajon Rondo that made it a 92-92 game after three quarters.
And in the fourth, the Thunder and Mavs traded punches. But once the smoke cleared, two OKC starters, Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook, had fouled out and Dallas came away with a well-earned 119-115 win before a sellout crowd that was understandably delirious after witnessing such a courageous comeback by their beloved Mavs.
"The final score's a little bit misleading because there were a lot of free throws and stuff like that, but the bottom line is everybody that stepped foot in that game had to step up and play with heart, play with courage and play fearless," Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. "That's what this kind of game is."
Dallas (43-25) was led by Chandler Parsons, who led all scorers with 31 points. Parsons finished 10-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from long range. The ex-Florida standout was also 8-of-9 from the foul line with four rebounds and two steals.
The Mavs also got 24 points from Monta Ellis and 22 from Dirk Nowitzki, but Parsons was front and center to deliver a big basket whenever the home team needed it most.
"This was a big win for us. We definitely needed this going down the stretch," Parsons said. "This is definitely something to build on. I just tried to be aggressive. I got some shots to fall early again and was able to make some plays in the paint and just make some plays down the stretch. Really it was a big win and everybody did a great job getting me the ball, especially (Rajon) Rondo finding me on the break and finding me for open shots."
And speaking of Rondo, he had another strong game running the offense for the Mavs, finishing with a double-double (11 points, 13 assists), his 12th of the season, along with four rebounds and one steal.
Rondo's strong performance in Dallas' 30-point win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday was a big source of pride for Carlisle. And after Monday's victory, Carlisle was again offering heady praise for Rondo's play, but this time for a different reason, because of the great leadership he showed against OKC.
"He did a great job of keeping our eye on the ball. Guys on our team listen to a guy like that because he's been through the wars and he's been a starting player on a championship team, so he did a tremendous job tonight," Carlisle said of Rondo.
Backup point guard Devin Harris played just 8:20 before a sudden illness took him out for the rest of the game, so Carlisle went with a bench of J.J. Barea, Richard Jefferson, Amar'e Stoudemire and Charlie Villanueva the rest of the way.
"I thought Barea did a good job and that those three guards (Barea, Ellis and Rondo) did a really good job of making it happen for us," Carlisle said.
OKC (37-30) was missing reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant (foot), who is slated to return in about a week, and inside presence Serge Ibaka (knee), but the Thunder got a 24-point, 12-assist performance from MVP candidate Russell Westbrook.
But only 10 of Westbrook's points came in the second half and the OKC standout was responsible for seven of the Thunder's 20 turnovers, which the Mavs turned into 30 points.
Naturally, turnovers were a sticking point for OKC head coach Scott Brooks following this loss.
"Thirty points from our turnovers did not help the cause and we have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball," Brooks said. "We feel like we can score on this team and with 21 turnovers, we scored 115 points. That was definitely part of the loss."
Since taking it on the chin last Tuesday in a 33-point blowout loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Mavs have responded with big victories against the Clips and now the Thunder.
However, Carlisle was adamant that his team hasn't accomplished anything just yet, especially since the next game of the five-game homestand looms, against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, a contest with an earlier start than usual of 7 PM.
"Look, we haven't done anything yet. I do believe that we have the ability to keep growing and keep getting better. And every one of these games are going to be like this the rest of the year. Fourteen left, Orlando in here, national TV on Wednesday, that's a big opportunity for them," Carlisle said. "They're going to play their ass off and we got to be ready."
Dallas beat the Magic 108-93 in Orlando back on January 31.
