Times wires
Monday, May 23, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY — Dirk Nowitzki scored 40, Jason Kidd hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime and the Mavericks overcame a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to stun the Thunder 112-105 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference final.
Dallas didn't lead until Nowitzki hit two free throws 16 seconds into overtime, needing to rally from a 99-84 deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. The Thunder never led in OT.
"I had a good rhythm going from the beginning,'' Nowitzki said.
Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer on Oklahoma City's opening possession of overtime then didn't get another shot until he missed a 3 off the front rim in the final 10 seconds with the Thunder down by five. He finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
"It's not over yet,'' Nowitzki said of the series, which returns to Dallas on Wednesday.
Mavs 112, Thunder 105, OT
DALLAS (112): Marion 1-5 5-6 7, Nowitzki 12-20 14-15 40, Chandler 2-4 1-1 5, Kidd 5-9 4-4 17, Stevenson 1-5 0-0 3, Terry 7-19 4-4 20, Stojakovic 2-7 0-0 4, Haywood 2-2 5-8 9, Barea 3-10 1-1 7. Totals 35-81 34-39 112.
OKLAHOMA CITY (105): Durant 9-22 9-10 29, Ibaka 8-15 2-2 18, Perkins 3-5 0-1 6, Westbrook 7-22 5-8 19, Sefolosha 6-10 0-0 12, Harden 3-5 1-2 7, Collison 5-7 2-2 12, Maynor 1-4 0-0 2, Cook 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 42-90 19-25 105.
Dallas 22 32 23 24 11— 112
Oklahoma City 31 28 22 20 4— 105
3-Point Goals—Dallas 8-25 (Kidd 3-6, Nowitzki 2-3, Terry 2-6, Stevenson 1-4, Barea 0-3, Stojakovic 0-3), Oklahoma City 2-13 (Durant 2-7, Maynor 0-1, Sefolosha 0-2, Westbrook 0-3). Fouled Out—Harden, Collison. Rebounds—Dallas 43 (Chandler 8), Oklahoma City 62 (Durant 15). Assists—Dallas 16 (Kidd 7), Oklahoma City 23 (Westbrook 8). Total Fouls—Dallas 22, Oklahoma City 29. Technicals—Chandler, Dallas defensive three second, Oklahoma City defensive three second. Flagrant Fouls—Haywood. A—18,203 (18,203).
Noah fined $50,000
MIAMI — Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 for directing an anti-gay slur at a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final and vowed to learn from the incident.
The NBA said the fine was "for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench."
The fine is half of what Lakers star Kobe Bryant was assessed for shouting the same slur toward a referee last month. The league said the sanction against Bryant was based on what he said and whom he said it to, and included discipline for verbal abuse of a game official.
Noah, a former Gator star, has a $60 million deal through 2015-16. Some of his teammates, including Taj Gibson and Luol Deng, said the fan went too far with persistent heckling.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, major advocacy groups, called upon the league to sanction Noah and further educate players.
"The fan said something that was disrespectful towards me (teammates said it involved Noah's mother)," Noah said. "And I went back at him. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm not like that. I'm an open-minded guy. I said the wrong thing, and I'm going to pay the consequences.
"Sometimes fans say things that are overboard. But it's on us not to react. If you react, they win. And I did."
Blazers: GM Rich Cho was fired after less than a year on the job. "The chemistry just wasn't there, and we didn't feel it was going to get any better," president Larry Miller said. A disagreement about disciplining All-Star guard Brandon Roy was not a factor, Miller said. Cho wanted to suspend Roy over comments he made during the playoffs about playing time. Owner Paul Allen did not agree, and Roy was not suspended. Chad Buchanan, director of college scouting, will be acting GM.
Conference finals
East
Heat 2, Bulls 1
Game 1: Bulls 103, Heat 82
Game 2: Heat 85, Bulls 75
Game 3: Heat 96, Bulls 85
Tonight: at Miami, 8:30, TNT
Thursday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT
Saturday: at Miami, 8:30, TNT *
Monday: at Chicago, 8:30, TNT *
West
Mavericks 3, Thunder 1
Game 1: Mavericks 121, Thunder 112
Game 2: Thunder 106, Mavericks 100
Game 3: Mavericks 93, Thunder 87
Monday: Mavericks 112, Thunder 105, OT
Wednesday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN
Friday: at Oklahoma City, 9, ESPN *
Sunday: at Dallas, 9, ESPN *
* If necessary