Now That’s Some Good Curry: Dallas Mavericks Dominate OKC Thunder at Home

The Dallas Mavericks continue to ride the hot hand of Seth Curry as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

Coming into tonight, Dallas stood 2.5 games out of the 8th and final playoff spot. Looking to dampen their hopes were the Oklahoma City Thunder and their MVP candidate, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook would be looking to continue his streak of 40-point games but Seth Curry and the Mavs had other ideas.

In typical “Brodie” fashion, Russell Westbrook came out the gate in attack mode. He erupted for 14 points, mostly in the paint. In fact, that’s where the majority of Oklahoma City’s points came from. However, outside of players named Westbrook, OKC only mustered 13 first quarter points.

Dallas, on the other hand, managed to put together a balanced attack with some efficient shooting. That’s how they were able to outscore OKC 28-27 without attempting a free throw the entire first quarter.

The second quarter saw the Dallas Mavericks continue their hot shooting. In fact, they finished the half shooting an impressive 63% from the field. Seth Curry scored eight of his game-high twenty-two points and Dirk Nowitzki continued to make those patented shots we’ve come to love over the years. The quarter also saw Westbrook go scoreless. In his stead, Enes Kanter picked up the slack and scored 15  points to keep OKC alive. He would go on to only score one more point the entire game.

The damage had already been done by the second half. OKC never managed to regain a groove offensively. Although Westbrook would find the basket again, OKC struggled to find an answer for Dallas’ much improved offensive attack. Not to mention, a strong defensive effort led by Wesley Matthews (3 steals) left OKC looking lost at times and a bit rattled.

Westbrook managed to pick up his 14th technical foul of the season. After being locked down by Matthews and throwing the basketball at Curry in frustration, it was all but over. The Mavs were able to cruise for the remainder of the game and secure their second straight win with a score of 104-89.

They’ll look to make it three in a row on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers come to town.

Player Of The Game: Seth Curry

More from The Smoking Cuban

• Dallas Mavericks: Why Luka Doncic is underpaid in $207 million extension
• Dallas Mavericks: Tyrell Terry injures groin in summer league loss to Jazz
• Mavericks: How to maximize Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis pairing
• Dallas Mavericks: Did they do enough this offseason to jump into title contention?
• Mavericks: What to watch for as Dallas faces Utah Jazz in summer league

I’ll start with an honorable mention of Dirk Nowitzki who went off for 18 points and 12 rebounds. At 38 years of age, Dirk continues to compete at an impressive level in his nineteenth NBA season. That’s more than anyone could ask for, let alone foresee. Tonight’s performance leaves Dirk 20 points away from joining the elusive 30,000 All-Time NBA points club.

With all that said, tonight’s star and driving force was Seth Curry. One timely basket after another, Curry kept the Mavericks afloat and OKC had no answers for him. At one point, he seemed to have gotten under Westbrook’s skin when the two battled for positioning on a play that resulted in Westbrook pushing Harrison Barnes to the ground.

All in all, Curry’s efficient and balanced scoring proved to be just what the Mavs needed.

Next: Who Should Be the Mavs Sixth Man?

As Dirk nears 30,000 points, the Dallas Mavericks welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to town on Tuesday for what could be a historic night in Dallas.