Mavericks hold on to beat Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler (center left) and Dirk Nowitzki (right) of Germany, as Jason Kidd (2) and Shawn Marion (left rear) look on in the second half of Game 3 of an NBA Western Conference finals basketball game in Oklahoma City on Saturday. The Mavericks won 93-87. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

OKLAHOMA CITY – Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion both scored 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 93-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of their NBA semi-final playoff series.

Jason Kidd finished with 13 points and eight assists for Dallas who took a 2-1 series lead and managed to hold NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant to just seven of 22 shooting from the field.

It was the fourth consecutive win on the road in the post-season for Dallas who tied the Miami Heat for the best road record in the 2010-11 regular season.

Nowitzki shot seven-of-21 from the field but came on in the clutch for the Mavericks, hitting key jump shots and free throws on Saturday.

Durant finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Orginally posted at 12:29 pm | Sunday, May 22nd, 2011