James Harden scored 14 of his 16 points in the final quarter, Serge Ibaka hit the go-ahead free throws with 46 seconds left and the Oklahoma City Thunder closed on an 8-0 run to storm past the Dallas Mavericks 95-91 on Monday night for their 13th consecutive home victory in the NBL.
Russell Westbrook scored 24 points while fellow All-Star Kevin Durant added 22 and the Western Conference-leaders (30-8), won for the eighth time in the last nine games.
German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points, including all four three-pointers in the final frame. Jason Terry added 18 points but missed the potential game-tying jumper with three seconds left as the reigning NBA Champs fell for the fifth time in the last six outings.
Kevin Love had 39 points with 17 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on to beat the visiting LA Clippers for the third time this season, 95-94.
The Clippers had a chance to force overtime but Chris Paul missed the third of three free throws with 2.7 seconds left.
Blake Griffin had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who dropped out of first place in the Pacific Division.
Dwight Howard made 16-of-20 shots en route to 36 points and 13 rebounds, carrying the visiting Orlando Magic to its ninth win in the last 12 games after trimming the Toronto Raptors, 92-88.
Luol Deng scored 20 points, Derrick Rose added 13, including three triples in the decisive 33-13 third quarter, and the league-best Chicago Bulls rolled to their seventh straight victory while ending the visiting Indiana Pacers’ six-game winning streak, 92-72.
Elsewhere: the visiting Golden State Warriors whipped the Washington Wizards 120-100; the visiting Utah Jazz dropped the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-100; the Milwaukee Bucks slipped past the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 97-93; the Denver Nuggets rallied past the visiting Sacramento Kings 119-116 in overtime; and the Portland Trail Blazers bounced the visiting New Orleans Hornets 86-74.