Mavericks 135, Thunder 131: Monta Ellis scored 26 points and Chandler Parsons tallied 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as visiting Dallas held off Oklahoma City.

Dirk Nowitzki and Amar’e Stoudemire had 18 points apiece as the Mavericks pulled four games ahead of the Thunder in the battle for the seventh playoff spot in the Western Conference. Tyson Chandler contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, Al-Farouq Aminu had 12 points and Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 10 assists.

Anthony Morrow made six 3-pointers and scored a season-best 32 points for Oklahoma City, which slipped to 1 1/2 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans in the competition for the final playoff spot. Russell Westbrook had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, Enes Kanter scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while Dion Waiters scored 19 points.

Dallas began the fourth quarter with 10 straight points to take a 111-101 lead but Oklahoma City recovered and took a 121-119 advantage on Westbrook’s hoop with 3:53 left. Baskets by Parsons and Ellis gave the Mavericks a 132-129 lead with 1:05 to play and Dallas was again up by three after a jumper by Parsons with 13 seconds remaining before Westbrook missed two 3-pointers and Ellis made it a two-possession game by splitting two free throws with 2.4 seconds to go.

The Mavericks shot 59.1 percent from the field in the first half to counter Kanter (20) and Morrow (17) combining for 37 Oklahoma City points to hold a 66-63 lead at the break. The Thunder led by 10 early in the third quarter and Dallas inched ahead at 93-92 on Aminu’s basket with 2:02 left in the stanza but Westbrook capped a 16-point quarter with three free throws with three seconds left to tie the score at 101.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The triple-double is Westbrook’s 10th of the season. … Parsons tied his season high with six assists. … The Thunder were 14-of-31 from 3-point range, while Dallas was 4-of-15.