DALLAS _ Give the Mavericks this much: they have developed quite the impressive swagger on their home court.
After the miserable start they had to the season, they now have won 11 of their last 14 home games after taking apart the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-89 Sunday night at American Airlines Center.
And the victories haven't come more convincingly than how they handled the Thunder, who fell behind by 24 points in the third quarter and never let the Thunder off the mat.
It was their fourth win at home after the All-Star break without a loss.
"We've played better," owner Mark Cuban said. "The last few years we really haven't been able to protect our home court and, but we're doing a great job protecting home court against all teams of all levels."
They have opened this five-game home stand with victories over playoff-bound Memphis and OKC. They have lottery-bound teams (the Lakers, Nets and Suns) coming in later this week. That they are only two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot is more than just noteworthy. They are playing their best ball as they try to make a playoff run.
The Mavericks, led by Seth Curry's 22 points Sunday, have had trouble most of the season with starting games. They've been getting outscored in the first quarter by an average of nearly two points for the season and while that may not sound like much, it's proof that they have been playing from behind far too often to have any consistent success.
They rectified that against the Thunder with a solid first quarter, after which they were up 28-27. They stretched that lead to 60-50 by halftime and moved it to 24 in the third quarter.
All the while, Russell Westbrook was having a garden-variety game by his standards. He needed 15 shots to get his first 17 points and was not a factor in the rebounding department.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks, with Wesley Matthews back in the starting lineup after missing two games with a right hip strain, were playing terrific on the defensive end of the court and it was definitely getting under Westbrook's skin.
With 4:27 to go in the third, Westbrook shoved Harrison Barnes to the floor, earning a flagrant foul, penalty one. Those free throws, plus another one by Barnes when he was fouled again by Westbrook, put the Mavericks up 81-57 and the party was on.
Westbrook would get his points, finishing with 29. He's not leading the NBA in scoring for no reason. But his efficiency level was not great.
The game also featured Dirk Nowitzki's slow, steady march to 30,000 points. He had 18 against the Thunder, along with 12 rebounds, as he returned to the starting center spot. Nerlens Noel came off the bench after starting and having 17 rebounds Friday against Memphis.
Nowitzki will begin Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers needing 20 points to reach the milestone.
In that game the 26-36 Mavericks will also have a chance to pull within nine games of .500, which would be the first time they have been less than 10 games under .500 since they were 2-11.
