Thunder-Mavericks quoteboard — Kevin Durant: ‘We have to come up with a better effort the next game.'

*“I thought Dirk was pretty good tonight. He made some tough shots. We tried to defend him as close as we could and obviously got a little too close.”

*“I thought we came out good and then in the second quarter our offense went south on us.”

*“(Dirk) had a good rhythm. He got off to a good start and then we were fouling his jump shots. That's just too many fouls. He's one of the best I've ever seen at that position, offensively. A lot of shots you don't think he has a chance of making it, but he does.”

*“Kevin was good offensively. Russell missed some shots. He's going to come back better. He was attacking the basket, and that's what we want Russell to do.”

*“Defensively we just have to do a better job of stopping their players. One guy had 48 points. Our starters played well, but we have to figure out how to stop those players.”

*“I felt we needed a spark, and that's what (Nate Robinson) does.”

*“We just can't foul him that many times. Twenty-four free throws is too much.”

*“I just think that (Dirk) had a terrific game. He was making his jump shots, and he was making his free throws.”

*“Barea is a talented young player that has improved every year. He's good. I read the paper yesterday, and Jason Kidd compared him to me, but that's way off. I'm no where near as good as that kid.”

Thunder star Kevin Durant:

*On defending Nowitzki when he's hot and getting foul calls: “It's frustrating, but we have to keep our composure. We know we got to continue to play our game. We have to make adjustments. But we can't get discouraged. He's a good player. He's going to make shots.”

*“Both teams are very aggressive on the offensive end. Those guys did a great job of putting pressure on us.”

*“We have to come with a better effort the next game.”

*“We were down 14 but came back and made it a game.”

*“We have to do a better job of helping each other out. The pick and roll is something they did well tonight.”

*“With Dirk, you can't put a jump shooter on the free throw line 24 times.”

*“On what makes Dirk so hard to defend: He's a 7-foot jump shooter, and he shoots one-legged fadeaways.”

*“I was trying to play (Dirk) physical. I tried to knock the ball out of his hands and I picked up two fouls.”

*“I could bet my whole house that Russell Westbrook won't go 3-for-15 again. You can quote me on that.”

*“I have a lot of faith in my teammates. I'm still going to pass them the ball. One guy can't win a series. Two guys can't win a series. We have to stick together.”

*“We were still in the game. They made more plays than we did. We have to keep pushing and play harder. It's a series. You don't win a series in one game.”

*“They do a great job of spacing the floor with the shooters they have. We have to do a better job with the pick and roll.”

*“It's going to be a tough challenge for us, but it's something we can handle.”

*On the foul calls: “It's frustrating. After playing a physical series with Memphis, that's what we were used to. It's a learning experience.”

*On the value of being able size up Dallas: “Nah, we're professionals. Our coaching staff gets us prepared every day. You have to make adjustments and be able to turn around. I knew we had a Game 7 against Memphis. You just have to adjust.”

*“We can't get discouraged. (Dirk) is going to make tough shots. I think that next game it'll be a little different.”

Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha:

*On foul calls on Nowitzki: “More than playing against a guy that's on fire like that is when he gets some questionable calls. It plays with your mind because then you start thinking, ‘What should I do?' You can't be too aggressive, but at the same time you want to be aggressive.”