Shorthanded Mavs Fall To Thunder 106-101
OKLAHOMA CITY (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder each scored 20 points, Chris Paul hit the go-ahead basket with 40.9 seconds left and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-101 on Tuesday night.
Paul scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and added eight rebounds and seven assists for the Thunder, who have won seven of their last eight games to move into seventh place in the NBA's Western Conference standings.
The Thunder (18-15) are three games above .500 for the first time this season.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but he and Maxi Kleber each missed a potential tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds.
Dallas played without usual starters Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed the game due to injuries.
Dallas led by as many as 12 points in the first half thanks to 23 points by Doncic, who was listed as questionable to play after he suffered a left wrist sprain and back contusion after taking a hard fall on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But the Thunder closed to within 51-50 by halftime and twice led by six points in the third quarter before Dallas took a 78-77 lead into the fourth quarter.
Dallas led 99-92 after a 3-pointer by Doncic with 2:56 left, but Oklahoma City took a 102-101 lead when Paul hit a 17-foot jumper with 40.9 seconds left.
Gallinari poked the ball away from Doncic at the other end, leading to two free throws by Schroder with 19.9 seconds left.
After Kleber and Doncic both missed their 3-point attempts, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the win with two free throws with 2.9 seconds left. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Dallas is now a game-and-a-half behind the Houston Rockets for the top spot in the Southwest Division.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)