OKC Ends Series, Season Over for the Dallas Mavericks

1 of 4

Apr 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) during the second quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

After being gutted by injuries, the Dallas Mavericks found their season coming to an end as the Thunder ended the series on Monday night.

Dallas went into Game 4 on Saturday night looking to even the series with a win at home. Despite a valiant effort by Dirk Nowitzki and the energy of Salah Mejri, the Mavericks were simply too short-handed to pull out the victory. Even with the late ejection of Kevin Durant for his hit on Justin Anderson, the Thunder were able to pull the game out and head to Oklahoma City for Game 5.

Dallas once again limped into the game on Monday night with only 10 active players on the roster. Deron Williams, David Lee, and Salah Mejri joined Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Evans on the inactive list for Game 5. This goes along with the lingering injuries for Dirk Nowitzki (knee), Devin Harris (thumb), J.J. Barea (groin), and Justin Anderson (shoulder).

The first half was almost a replica of the whole series, OKC started off strong and the Mavericks started to chip away to close the lead at the half. Russell Westbrook had nine points in the first six minutes of the game after Mark Cuban called him an “all-star, not a superstar” before the game started. OKC led at the half 68-61.

Also in the first half, Dirk Nowitzki passed Scottie Pippen on the all-time postseason scoring list to move into 14th all-time.

The second half started with the same storyline…Dallas refusing to go out without a fight. Dallas cut the lead to two points in the third quarter. Durant and Westbrook continued to push OKC despite a rib injury for Kanter. Dallas had the game to three points in the latter part of the fourth quarter but couldn’t pull it out.

Here is three role players that contributed the most for their teams tonight…

Next: Adams