OKLAHOMA CITY -- This was shaping up to be a signature victory for the Dallas Mavericks against one of the NBA's elite teams.
But OKC forward Sereg Ibaka made sure that didn't happen. Especially when he collected two offensive rebounds on one key late possession.
With the Thunder leading 96-95, Kevin Durant missed a shot, but Ibaka collected the offensive rebound with 1:02 left in regulation play. Then, Russell Westbrook missed an eight-footer, and Ibaka grabbed another offensive rebound with 43.4 seconds left.
Those two boards by Ibaka helepd eat up some more precious time as the Thunder to beat the Mavs in overtime, 111-105.
"Their rebounding was a problem the whole game,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "On that one possession it was huge.
"They jumped over us a couple of times, I thought maybe the whistle could have blown. But I haven't see it on film yet.''
OKC won the rebounding battle over the Mavs, 56-46, inclduing 17-10 on the offensive end. Ibaka led the way with a game-high 17 rebounds, including eight offensively.
-- Dwain Price
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