Thunder Holds On against Magic, 125-124

Oklahoma City filled up the stat sheet against one of the NBA's top defensive teams.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:09 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Jan 13, 2011 10:21 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – It’s hard to decide what the most telling statistic of the Thunder’s 125-124 win against the Magic was.

Kevin Durant’s 7-of-8, 16-point first quarter got the Thunder off to a blazing start.

Russell Westbrook’s monster triple-double helped OKC lead the entire game.

The Thunder shot a ridiculous percentage from the field (56 percent) and from 3-point range (50 percent).

But regardless of the statistics, an impressive victory over one of the East’s top teams gave a sellout Thunder crowd plenty to cheer about on Thursday.

Though the Thunder won by a single point, they never trailed and controlled the majority of the contest.

OKC led by as many as 12 several times and hit its free throws down the stretch to keep the Magic at bay. A futile buzzer beater 3 from Orlando’s Jason Richardson made the final margin appear even more dramatic.

Durant got Oklahoma City off to a frenzied start, scoring 16 in the first to give Oklahoma City an eight point lead after one.

The Magic battled back thanks in large part to Dwight Howard, who posted 10 points in the second as part of a ruthless 39-point, 18-board performance. The Magic pulled to within four (64-60) at the break.

An 8-2 run partway through the third broke the lead open to 10 again, and a buzzer beater from Thabo Sefolosha helped the Thunder hold that lead into the fourth.

The Magic pulled to within one point with just more than four minutes left, but a fall-away, 26-foot jumper to beat the shot clock from Jeff Green with just less than three minutes gave the Thunder the momentum for good.

Durant led the Thunder in scoring with 36, but Russell Westbrook’s stat line was likely the most impressive. He had 32 points, 13 assists and 10 boards for his second triple-double of the season.

Oklahoma City was able to attack the Magic’s biggest strengths. Orlando had the fifth-best scoring defense coming into the game, allowing just 93 points per game.

The Thunder also outrebounded the Magic 42-36 despite Dwight Howard’s big night. Nenad Krstic posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds (seven on the offensive end).

OKC has won four straight and will take on the Lakers in another nationally televised game (TNT) at 9:30 p.m. on Monday.