DALLAS – On the most crucial defensive possession of the game, Victor Oladipo played cornerback, and Russell Westbrook provided safety help over the top.

Oladipo was glued to Dallas’ JJ Barea, and as the veteran Mavericks guard raced to midcourt to receive an inbounds pass, Westbrook was there to apply the pressure. The connection couldn’t be made, the ball tipped out to the Thunder and a collective unease fell over the Dallas crowd. It was the one final sliver of hope Westbrook and his team needed.

“You have to make winning plays. The game of basketball is not just about scoring,” Westbrook said. “Whether it’s helping a guy out, getting your hand in there or getting steals or whatever it is to make basketball plays to win.”

After Oladipo played corner back and Westbrook provided the safety help, Head Coach Billy Donovan set up a simply play that the team has used before in these situations: get Westbrook the ball with space in front of him, and a chance to make a play. Westbrook went to his patented “cotton shot”, an elbow jumper from the free throw line area, and dropped it through with 7.2 seconds to go.

#winning shot A post shared by Oklahoma City Thunder (@okcthunder) on Mar 27, 2017 at 8:09pm PDT

“Where the ball was being taken out of bounds, it gave him a head of steam,” Donovan explained. “He can get a full run and you’re kind of backing up because at that point you’re worried about him getting to the rim. He obviously creates that space with his speed and then he can stop when he gets to 15 feet.”

One stop later, and the Thunder had completed its miracle comeback, a 92-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks to move to 42-31 on the year.

Westbrook’s jumper capped a 14-0 run over the final 3:31 of regulation, a remarkable stretch that was generated by Donovan’s club simply playing each possession that was right in front of them to the best of their ability. Westbrook scored 12 of the Thunder’s final 14 points, exploding to the rim for a one-handed slam dunk to start the stretch.

Prior to his game-winner, Westbrook also dropped a three-pointer, hit a post-up and-one jump shot from the right side, banked in a jumper from the left side and got a little help from Steven Adams who tipped in a missed three.

Thunder ended game on 14-0 burst. Held Mavs scoreless for 3:30. Watch Steven Adams' @USCellular highlight of the run. #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/aFAJEiqfWG — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 28, 2017

FOR THE WIN! Can't just pick one @BudLight Photo of the Game, so swipe left. A post shared by Oklahoma City Thunder (@okcthunder) on Mar 27, 2017 at 8:41pm PDT

“You don’t have to go for homeruns,” Westbrook quipped. “Just take it one possession at a time.”

Despite not having played Taj Gibson at the center position since he joined the team at the trade deadline, Donovan elected to utilize his versatile forward in that role during a few select stretches of the fourth quarter. The experience, tenacity, toughness, rebounding and quickness that Gibson provides helped the Thunder get stops down the stretch, including five missed shots and two turnovers in the final 3:31.

“He brings a lot of different things to the game that you may not see,” Westbrook said of the veteran Gibson. “The way he plays the game and his toughness is huge for us.”

The Thunder had to shake off so much all night. A seven-point first quarter lead evaporated due to a 22-4 Mavericks run that spanned the quarter break in the first half. Scoring a season-low 10 points in the second period certainly didn’t help. But the Thunder started the third quarter on a 22-4 run, sparked by forcing four turnovers in the opening possessions of the period.

“In the second half we started touching up on them and forced some turnovers,” Westbrook said. “We kept them out of the paint and we did a good job of making them shoot tough threes over our hands. We got the rebound and got out on the break.”

“We did a better job making it hard for them. We did a better job communicating,” Oladipo added. “In the first half they were kind of carving us up with their passing and their movement, but in the second half we did a good job of slowing that up.”

Thunder D gets the stops at the end! A post shared by Oklahoma City Thunder (@okcthunder) on Mar 27, 2017 at 8:02pm PDT

The Mavericks did a nice job of responding to that Thunder barrage, utilizing a 10-0 run to push the lead back out to as many as 14 in the fourth quarter. But the tone had been set, and despite hitting eight second half three-pointers, the Mavericks couldn’t quite shake free the same way as they did in the first half. That defensive unity the Thunder displayed helped lock up the Mavericks late, setting down Westbrook’s latest heroics.

The jumper Westbrook hit with 7.2 seconds remaining capped off another brilliant all-around performance from the MVP candidate: 37 points to match his 37th triple-double of the season that featured 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

With nine games remaining, Westbrook needs four triple-doubles to tie Oscar Robertson for 41, the most ever in a season. He would also tie Wilt Chamberlain for third-most career triple-doubles with 78. In order to finish the season averaging a triple-double, Westbrook must average 5.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

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By the Numbers

+11 – The Thunder’s advantage in field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, thanks to a plus-6 rebounding edge and a +4 turnover differential

21-6 – Fast break point edge for the Thunder on the night, in addition to a 22-12 lead in second chance points

37 – Triple-doubles this season for Russell Westbrook, and also total points for the Thunder guard on the night, including 16 in the fourth quarter alone

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The Last Word

“Thing that any coach wants from his team is to have a never say die attitude, to work, to be relentless and passionate and play all the way to the final buzzer. (Westbrook) embodies that in every possible way, shape and form there can be. He has this desire and drive where he’ll find a way. Nothing is too insurmountable to overcome. It’s a great credit to his disposition and his competitiveness. It also trickles into our team, especially in timeouts and huddles because he inspires the group.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan on Russell Westbrook