The Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-113 for their fourth straight win.
Dennis Smith Jr.’s 3-pointer put the Mavericks ahead for good with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder got within 111-110 on Carmelo Anthony’s 2 free throws with 37 seconds to play, but Smith answered with a driving layup, and the Thunder got no closer than 115-113. They had the ball down 3, but Russell Westbrook missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that would have tied it.
During clutch time, the Mavericks outscored the Thunder 19-17. Smith scored 13 of the Mavericks’ 19 on 3 for 4 shooting and 5 for 6 at the line.
Harrison Barnes scored 24 points (12 on 4 3-pointers) on 10 for 15 shooting, and J.J. Barea added 12 points (6 in the paint) and 11 assists off the bench. Smith scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
For the Thunder, Westbrook had 38 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, his 12th triple-double of the season, and Paul George added 25 points. Anthony scored 21 points. The Thunder had 3 20-point scorers.
The Mavericks shot 51.7% from the field and 44.1% from 3 to the Thunder’s 48.3% and 31.3%. The Thunder forced 8 turnovers, about 8 fewer than usual for this many possessions. They outscored the Mavericks 15-0 on the fast break.