Magic at Thunder
Russell Westbrook is carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder but could not get the game-winning shot to fall on Friday in a 110-108 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Westbrook and company will try to avoid a third consecutive setback when they host the slumping Orlando Magic on Sunday.
Westbrook is averaging 30.9 points, 9.4 assists and 8.9 rebounds but misfired on a 3-point attempt in the final seconds against the Clippers on Friday as Oklahoma City suffered its third loss - all three coming against top playoff contenders Golden State, Toronto and Los Angeles. "I trust Russell," Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters. "With a guy like Russell, and you don't have a timeout and you're not scripting something, I trust him. Because he's going to try and make a play to help us win." The Magic are still searching for a guy that can put their team on his back and had only two players score in double figures as the losing streak reached three straight with an 87-74 setback at home to Utah on Friday. "We’ve got to play unselfish and trust the next guy – that’s the bottom line,’’ center Bismack Biyombo told the team's website. "It’s kind of frustrating that at this point we’re still playing like that. If we’re not making plays that are unselfish, then we’re not about winning. We have to be willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE MAGIC (3-6): Sunday's contest represents a homecoming for power forward Serge Ibaka, who spent seven seasons in Oklahoma City before switching to Orlando in a draft day trade over the summer. Ibaka saw his scoring and rebounding numbers steadily decrease over his final three seasons with the Thunder, from highs of 15.1 points and 8.8 boards in 2013-14 to 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season as the team advanced to the Western Conference finals. The 27-year-old is seeing a decrease again in his first season with the Magic, averaging 12.4 points on a career-low 44.4 percent shooting and 5.6 boards.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (6-3): The main piece coming back to Oklahoma City in that deal was guard Victor Oladipo, who is averaging 16.2 points while starting alongside Westbrook. The 24-year-old Indiana product was the No. 2 overall pick by Orlando in 2013 and was asked to do more ballhandling for a young Magic team. Oladipo plays off the ball with the Thunder and is shooting a career-best 41.7 percent from 3-point range, including 15-of-27 from beyond the arc in the last five games to recover from a slow start.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thunder rookie PF Domantas Sabonis is 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the last three games.
2. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic slumped to four points on 2-of-12 shooting in Friday's loss.
3. Oklahoma City swept the two-game series in each of the last two seasons.