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 The Thunder opened their five-game Eastern Conference road trip
by blistering the overwhelmed Orlando Magic 127-99 on Sunday night,
determined to start changing their fortunes away from home.
Forward Kevin Durant had 21 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in
just 27 minutes, leading the Thunder to an early lead that left the
outcome of this game never in doubt.
"You can't look too far ahead. You can't worry about the future, but
we can build on this," Durant said. "We started this one with a lot
of energy and effort. It was a good way to start this trip."
The Thunder (20-20) are just 8-13 away from home this season, hurt
consistently by poor starts and a lack of focus on the road. That
wasn't a problem Sunday night when they scored the first 13 points,
led by 38 in the second quarter and never let the Magic back into
the game.
"Everybody was really locked in, engaged early, and that was good,"
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "I'm proud to start this trip off
with a defensive effort, a game like this."
 Guard Russell Westbrook had 17 points and six assists in 24 minutes.
Forward Serge Ibaka had 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and
eight rebounds in 28 minutes. Guard Andre Roberson had 10 points.
Reserve guard Dion Waiters, acquired by trade earlier this month,
had 16 points.
The Thunder starters were replaced late in the third quarter and
never returned to the game, giving reserves the fourth-quarter. The
Magic never got closer than 25 points in the fourth quarter.
"It was big to start the road trip like this," Westbrook said.
"We're in a good spot now."
The Magic (15-29) were led by guard Victor Oladipo with 23 points.
Point guard Elfrid Payton had 19 points and eight assists. Center
Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Despite the 30-point-plus lead, both Westbrook and Durant were
called for technical fouls in the third quarter for arguing calls by
officials. Vucevic received one, too, in the same period for shoving
Thunder center Steven Adams.
The Magic did open the third quarter by scoring nine consecutive
points -- a trio of 3-pointers by Oladipo, Channing Frye and Devyn
Marble -- and cut the deficit to 79-54, but the Thunder resumed
their domination.
The Thunder shot an incredible 72.7 percent (32 of 44) in the first
half when they roared to a record-setting, 79-45 lead. It was the
most first-half points for the Thunder since the franchise moved to
Oklahoma City in 2008. The 79 points also were the most ever scored
by anyone against the Magic in the first half.
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The Thunder missed only two shots in the second quarter when they
led by as many as 38 points. The Thunder made 25 of their first 32
shots (78.1 percent) as the Magic offered little resistance,
allowing their opponents to do as they pleased, which left coach
Jacque Vaughn steaming.
"I want confrontation. I want hostility. I want aversion," Vaughn
said. "I want nastiness. I want all of the above for us to grow as a
team. The chip on your shoulder has to be there from the start of
the game. That is the old school in me. You do not have to like the
guy you are competing against."
The Thunder held a 54-33 rebound advantage. They led 21-13 in second
change points. They beat the Magic to rebounds and loose balls,
winning all the hustle points.
"They (Thunder) got a lot of the 50-50 balls. You can't get pushed
around as a team," Payton said. "We're still learning how to play
like this."
Durant had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists before
intermission. He made seven of his eight shots. Waiters made all
five of his shots for 12 points in the first half.
Vucevic had a good start with 10 points and five rebounds in the
first quarter, but he was passive after his impressive start. Magic
trailed by 17 points after the first 12 minutes.
NOTES: The Magic activated rookie F Aaron Gordon for the first time
since he fractured his left foot Nov. 15. Gordon, the No. 4 pick in
the draft, averaged just 5.8 points and 3 rebounds in the 11 games
he played previously this season. He went scoreless in 11:45 of game
action Sunday. ... Sunday was the start of a tough road stretch for
the Thunder, who play seven of eight on the road. Oklahoma City has
an 8-13 road record. "We've struggled a little on the road and we
want to stop that," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We've had some
bad starts. This is a great opportunity to turn that around." ...
Thunder F Serge Ibaka remade his game this season by shooting 41.2
percent from 3-point range (56 of 136) coming into Sunday. In his
five previous NBA seasons, he made a combined total of just 25
3-point baskets.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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