Durant rallies with 34, Thunder top Mavs 131-102, lead 2-1

DALLAS (AP) – Kevin Durant bounced back from the worst shooting game of his playoff career with 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder retook control of their first-round series with a 131-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Thursday night’s Game 3.

Durant had seven field goals midway through the second quarter on nine shots after he needed 33 to get there in a Game 2 loss that followed a 38-point win in the opener.

The 2014 MVP scored 20 points in the first half, when the Thunder led by as many as 19 points on their way to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Dallas.

Dirk Nowitzki played despite a right knee bruise and scored 16 points but the Mavericks let Oklahoma City dictate the pace and couldn’t keep up, never leading while missing 10 of their first 12 shots from 3-point range.