Kevin Durant is back on target in Thunder’s defeat of Mavericks

Durant scored 20 of his 34 points in the first half, Russell Westbrook had 20 of his 26 in the second and the Thunder retook control of their first-round series with a 131-102 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas in Game 3 on Thursday night.

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.

The Mavs did not lead and missed 10 of their first 12 shots from three-point range.

Westbrook answered the best Dallas run of the second half with alternating three-pointers and assists on four straight possessions to help push a 10-point lead back to 18.

The NBA leader in triple-doubles during the regular season had an oddity with no rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan rebounded from his postseason shooting slump, scoring 21 points, and Kyle Lowry also added 21 to help visiting Toronto claim a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

On Thursday, DeRozan made his first three shots, scored 12 points in the first quarter, finished 7-for-19 from the field and went 7-for-9 at the free-throw line.