The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a dirk as "a long, straight-bladed dagger". The seven-foot German Dirk Nowitzki is certainly long, and in straight shot after straight shot from the free-throw line on Tuesday night, he knifed the hopes of the Thunder. By the time the game finished, he had put in an NBA playoff record 24 straight free throws - 13 in the third quarter - to finish with 48 points, rarely missing at all with 12 of 15 field goals. Kevin Durant had a stellar gamefor Oklahoma City , hitting 18 of 19 from the line, and finishing with 40 points, but all he could do was keep his side in with a chance. Russell Westbrook had an off-night, hitting only 3 of 15 field goal attempts for the Thunder, whereas Nowitzki had great help from the Dallas bench, with Barea scoring 21 in just 16 minutes of play, while Jason Terry scored 24 points.
Oklahoma rarely looked in the game in the second half, getting as far behind as 16, before an unlikely rally to within 5 points in the last minutes of the game as Dallas briefly went cold. However, they picked things back up when required, with Nowitzki continuing to sink free throws, and they closed out the first game of the conference final 121-112.
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