Thunder 101, Magic 98
Kevin Durant recorded 28 points, nine rebounds and dished out five assists as Oklahoma City held off a late Orlando rally to remain unbeaten at home.
Russell Westbrook collected 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Thunder, who have won 14 of their last 15 overall and improved to 12-0 at home. Jeremy Lamb had 16 points and Reggie Jackson added 10 off the bench for Oklahoma City, which survived when Glen Davis’ 3-pointer was short in the final seconds.
Arron Afflalo led the way with 25 points for Orlando, which rallied from 16 back to pull within 100-98 on Maurice Harkless’ basket with 22.3 seconds left. Victor Oladipo had 15 points while Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Magic, who are 1-8 in their last nine.
The Thunder scored 13 of the last 17 points in the first quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Lamb, to take a 28-22 lead after 12 minutes. Orlando ran off nine straight points to tie the game at 45-45 before Durant recorded nine of his 14 first-half points to help Oklahoma City rebuild a 56-49 lead at intermission.
Jameer Nelson’s 3-pointer pulled Orlando within six midway through the third quarter, but the Thunder responded with six straight points and led 83-71 going into the final frame. The Magic trimmed their deficit to 96-88 after an Oladipo layup with 3:58 left and fell behind by 12 again before their late flurry.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oklahoma City had 27 fast-break points to Orlando’s 12. …. Vucevic has grabbed 43 rebounds in a three-game span since returning from an ankle injury. … Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha returned the lineup after missing the last three contests with a sprained knee and contributed six points.