Rapid reaction: Oklahoma City pounds the Mavs 112-91 for easy win

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater

Oklahoma City cruised to a 112-91 blowout win over Dallas on Monday night, the ninth straight over its I-35 rivals, including playoffs. Here’s some rapid reaction:

Turning point

The Thunder cruised through an unimpeded lane in the first half, dropping in layup after layup with little resistance. And with each easy two-point bucket, the Mavs motivation rapidly plummeted. It was 68-44 OKC at halftime. It was over far before that.

Star of the game – Not Dirk Nowitzki

The Dallas star has been brutal against OKC this year. He’s 11/41 shooting in the three losses, averaging only 12.3 points and helping little on the glass. Nowitzki’s never been known as a hustle player, but his effort has been noticeably lackluster when facing the Thunder. He rarely broke out of a light jog during Monday’s beatdown. His line: 3/11 shooting, 10 points, 3 rebounds and a plus/minus of -24.

Durant domination

On the opposite end of the spectrum, KD has been lights out against Dallas. While the Mavs star labors through rough shooting nights, KD fills up the opposing scoreboard. He wasn’t even that spectacular on Monday (and didn’t need to be): 19 points and 10 rebounds on 6/11 shooting. But because of his 52- and 40-point showings earlier in the year, he’s now put up 111 in three games. That’s 37 per game. Dirk has 37 total in those three games.

Stats of note

-The Thunder is now 15-1 at home against Western Conference teams this season.
-The Mavs are 8-19 on the road this season.
-Kevin Durant is 36/37 at the line against Dallas this season. His only miss came tonight.
-Kevin Durant
-Russell Westbrook (8/16 tonight) has shot 50% or better for three consecutive games. That’s the longest streak of the season. OKC is 12-2 in games he hits or eclipses the 50% mark.