Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook help Oklahoma City Thunder edge out Orlando Magic - NBA Recap
On Thursday night at the Amway centre, Orlando Magic took on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the rematch of the season opener and once again it was OKC, who edged out Magic in a thriller.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were sensational on the night. The duo played a big part in erasing a 14 point 4th quarter deficit to hold on to 105-102 win.
Kevin Durant tallied a game high 38 points on a 12-of-21 shooting, including 18 in the last quarter while Westbrook ended the night with a 29 points, 10 assists double-double. James Harden netted 13 as Oklahoma stretched their
winning streak to 7.
For Magic, led by Dwight Howard’s 33 points and 9 boards, all the starters scored in double figures. Jason Richardson had 16; forward Ryan Anderson along with Jameer Nelson chipped in with 15 apiece while Hidayet Turkoglu came
up with 11 points.
The game remained closely contested in the opening frame, with either side unable to pull off a substantial run. Orlando though managed to cap it off with a 3-pointer from Richardson taking a 23-20 advantage.
Magic launched a barrage of three pointers early in the second to take a 42-33 advantage, but the combo of Westbrook and Durant helped Thunder to claw off the deficit to 3 points 53-50, by scoring 8 and 9 points respectively in
the ensuing passage.
The scenario changed after the halftime as Magic raced off to a 10-2 run early in the 3rd period and claimed a 63-52 advantage. The away side strived to reduce the gap but they failed to deter Howard who was unstoppable
with 16 points in this piece. With a comfortable 81-70 lead Orlando proceeded towards the decisive quarter.
Thunder were expected to mount a challenge in the last quarter and they lived up to the anticipation. They started off with a 15-6 run to make it 84-87 with 5:46 remaining in the game and after Howard slammed the rim for a two,
OKC pulled away with a 21-10 run to break the game.
With 5.3 seconds remaining, Anderson knocked down a three to make it 102-105, but after Daequan Cook missed both free throws for Thunder, Richardson failed to make a last gasp three and the Thunder held on.
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