The Dallas Mavericks have progressed to the Western Conference Finals for the third time in franchise history with a hard fought 119-111 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The match was a fitting game seven in what has been a fantastic conference semi final series, and the Mavs had German ace Dirk Nowitzki to thank for the victory.

Nowitzki had 37 points and 15 rebounds on 11-of-20 shooting, but it was his clutch play in the final minute of regulation time which kept the Mavs in the contest.

Spurs small forward Manu Ginobili had given his side a three point lead with 32 seconds remaining, and after coach Avery Johnson had called a timeout, Nowitzki drove to the basket, nailing the layup and drawing a hard foul from Ginobili.

After hitting the free-throw, and tying the scores, both Ginobili and all star Tim Duncan had chances to win the game in regulation for the Spurs but came up short.

In overtime, the Mavs were never headed. The Spurs threw the ball inside on nearly every possession to Duncan, but he could not find a way to score around Mavs backup centre Desanga Diop. Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse closed out the game for the Mavs. Terry finished the match with 27 points, while Stackhouse had 13.

For the Spurs, Duncan was near unstoppable in regulation time. He finished with 41 points on 12-of-24 shooting along with 15 rebounds and six assists. French point guard Tony Parker added 24 points, and Ginobili contributed 23, but the Spurs received only two points from the bench.

The Mavericks now face the Phoenix Suns.