DALLAS (AP) - After a sensational start to the Western Conference finals, Dirk Nowitzki's late charge wasn't able to save the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2.
Nowitzki scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks lost to the Thunder 106-100 to even the series at a win apiece heading into Game 3 on Saturday night in Oklahoma City.
Nowitzki scored all but eight of Dallas' points in the final period, hitting seven of 10 shots. But after a 48-point performance in Game 1, Nowitzki couldn't do enough to put the Mavs in control of the series.
And he didn't have much help.
The Mavericks' bench was outscored 50-29 while Oklahoma City's reserves were so effective that coach Scott Brooks left All-Star Russell Westbrook and three other starters on the bench down the stretch.
Jason Terry and J.J. Barea weren't able to reproduce their big games from the opener, when Dallas held a 53-22 advantage in bench scoring. The Mavericks had leaned heavily on their bench in a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, outscoring the defending champions' reserves 198-89 in that series.
Nowitzki couldn't reproduce his masterful effort from Game 1, when he hit 36 of the 39 shots he took - including all 24 of his free throws - and scored an NBA playoff-high 48 points. His run of 39 consecutive free throws came to an end with a key miss that kept Dallas from making it a one-possession game with 36.7 seconds left.
Before his strong finish, Nowitzki was held scoreless in the third quarter - missing both of his shots in 8:42 of playing time.
The Thunder sent more frequent double-teams at Nowitzki and did a much better job of defending him without fouling, after he set an NBA record with his 24-for-24 free throw shooting two nights earlier.
"Let's face it: We're not going to throw something out that he's never seen before unless we throw four guys at him," Brooks said before the game. "He's seen it all and had success in it all. It's just you're picking your poison and whichever one you do pick, you have to execute it with great effort and perfection. And sometimes that doesn't even work."
This time, it worked well enough.
Perhaps even more key was how Oklahoma City held Barea and Terry in check after they combined for 43 points in the opener.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said before the game that his team wasn't looking at the postseason run as the longest playoff winning streak in the franchise's history.
Instead, it's about looking forward to the finish line - which still isn't any closer.
"You've got to look at it that there's a finite number of games that you need to win," Carlisle said. "We need to win 16 games, and we have to win seven more. That's how we're looking at it. That's a more accurate way to view it.
"Every time you step out there, it's an opportunity to help the team move in that direction."
