After three quarters of play, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic appeared to be on their way to another victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle Supersonics franchise, leading 81-70. In the fourth quarter, that all changed, and the Kevin Durant show turned on. Durant scored 18 points in the final period, nearly outscoring the other team, and the Thunder came back to win 105-102.
Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 67 points (Durant 38, Westbrook 29), which has been the formula for their success all season, and, after Thursday night's win against the Magic, they have the best record in the NBA at 29-7. James Harden was the only other Thunder player in double figures, scoring 13. Yes, that's right, Durant, Westbrook and Harden combined to score 80 points. Westbrook also had 10 assists with only two turnovers. It was the first time the Thunder had beaten the Magic since 2004. Durant also came up with this beauty with the shot clock winding down, effectively killing the Magic's hopes for a last-minute comeback.
Howard, for his part, was magnificent, scoring 33 points on 14-20 shooting and 5-8 from the foul line. He did, however, grab just nine rebounds, well below his season average, and was out-rebounded by Kendrick Perkins, who pulled down 11. Jameer Nelson played a solid, if unspectacular game with 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
For more on these two teams, visit Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.