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Nowitzki scores 30 as Mavs beat Thunder

Dec 29, 2014 - 3:31 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in season high-tying 30 points with five rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks in a 112-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

Chandler Parsons had 26 points, Monta Ellis contributed 18 and Rajon Rondo finished with 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Mavs, who have won two in a row.

Serge Ibaka paced the Thunder with a season-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Reggie Jackson deposited 21 points and Russell Westbrook added 18 despite shooting 6-of-23 from the floor.

"I thought we did a really good job on (Russell) Westbrook," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, who coached in his 1,000th NBA game. "That was the No. 1 game plan to try and slow these guys down."

Oklahoma City, which had its two-game winning streak snapped, played without Kevin Durant for a sixth straight game due to a sprained ankle.

Charlie Villanueva scored the final five points of an 11-2 run to open the fourth for Dallas that staked it a 92-90 lead.

The Mavs were then down two with just over four minutes to play when they ripped off six straight points. Nowitzki scored the final four to make it a 106-102 game. Jackson answered a the other end with a desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to close within one.

Rondo's layup and Nowitzki's two free throws put Dallas up by two possessions, though, with over a minute to play. After a couple of misses by the Thunder which would have closed the gap, Rondo missed a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left.

Jackson made it a three-point game with a dunk, but poor transition defense led to a Parson's jam at the other end to account for the final margin.

"We just have to get better. Give both teams credit. Both teams competed and both left everything out on the floor," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks.

Ellis and Nowitzki knocked down successive 3-pointers before Parsons' layup gave the Mavs an early 8-2 lead. Parsons hit a 3 later in the frame that pushed the margin to double digits, and Dallas entered the second quarter up 33-26.

"We wanted to come out and be the more aggressive team," Carlisle added.

Westbrook closed a 19-7 surge with a pair of baskets to help give the Thunder a 52-49 advantage midway through the second. Dallas responded with 11 straight points, with Parsons' three-point play capping the run. The Mavs led 64-58 at the break.

Jackson followed a Ibaka 3-pointer to close the third quarter and also cap a 7-0 run for an 88-81 OKC lead after three quarters.

Game Notes

Ellis rolled his left ankle late in the fourth and did not return to the game ... Oklahoma shot 45-for-90 from the floor ... Dallas scored 19 points off 18 turnovers ... Westbrook had a season high-tying five steals ... OKC had a 60-40 edge in the paint and outrebounded the Mavs, 53-37.