OKLAHOMA CITY – The Thunder’s dominance of the Mavericks this season continued into the playoffs.
Oklahoma City swept Dallas in the regular season and took Game One of the first round playoff series at home on Saturday, 108-70.
And there was no doubt.
The Thunder opened the game on a 9-0 run and led throughout, pushing the advantage to 59-33 at the half.
Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 11 assists at the end of the third quarter. He watched the rest of the game comfortably from the bench, with his team up by 42 at that point.
The 38-point victory matched the largest for the franchise since moving from Seattle.
Oklahoma City’s defensive effort was strong on the night, but it was aided by poor Dallas shooting. The Mavs shot only 29.8 percent from the field.
On the other end of the court, the Thunder seemed to score at will. Four players were in double figures, led by Westbrook. Kevin Durant had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, also ending his night after three quarters.
Serge Ibaka had 17 points and nine boards, while Enes Kanter had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The only bright point of the night for Dallas was the play of Dirk Nowitzki, who had 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field.
Game Two will be on Monday at 7 p.m. at Chesapeake Arena, televised on TNT.