The Thunder were looking to contain Dirk Nowitzki.

Instead, they should have learned to box out better, and prevent Shawn Marion from taking advantage of questionable defense.

The Mavericks led for most of the game and knocked off the Thunder, 93-87, in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Marion finished with 18 points on nine-of-13 shooting. The Mavericks only got nine offensive rebounds, but they were important ones.

With Dirk Nowitzki shooting just seven-of-21 from the field, it was the supporting cast that helped out. Jason Kidd played smart basketball and Tyson Chandler added 15 rebounds to help the Mavericks get the win.

The Mavericks led by 22 points in the second half. The Thunder were able to chip away at the lead, but the Mavericks executed their plays better in the final minutes.

The Thunder seemed tense, and had major struggles from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City shot a terrible one-of-17 from three-point land.

Kevin Durant scored 24 points, but shot poorly. The Thunder, however, got help from Russell Westbrook, who scored 30 points. The Thunder guard took two very questionable shots in the fourth quarter, that ended up in misses.

Oklahoma City needed to get sharper offensive plays in the closing moments, but it didn't happen. They only had 11 assists in the game.

James Harden was just two-of-nine from the field.

The Thunder stayed in the game thanks to free throw shooting. They shot an excellent 32-of-36 from the line.

Basketball