Mavs Rookie Makes Thunder Pay for 'Disrespectful' Tactic

Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II was put in a tough position Saturday night during Game 3 of their series versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Bolts decided to intentionally foul the Mavs rookie in Game 3, considering his poor free-throw shooting numbers. But that tactic backfired at Oklahoma as Lively found his rhythm at the foul line and sank four free throws in a row in the clutch to help Dallas pull off a 105-101 home win -- and get the 2-1 series lead.

Lively finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds. He also went 8/12 from the free-throw line, including the aforementioned crucial ones in the fourth quarter. The former Duke Blue Devils big man initially tried to hide from the Thunder's defense, as he missed all but one of his first four free throws in Game 3

“There’s probably a clip out there of me just running around,” after the game, per Dwain Price of NBA.com .

“I was trying to make the lane open for my teammates, and my teammates were just like, ‘Why the hell are you running? Just stay there and knock them in,'" Lively added.

Lively shot just 50.6 percent from the charity stripe back in the regular season, but after he made his freebies in high-pressure moments in Game 3, the Thunder might have to forget about using that strategy again in the next games.

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