Thunder Week In Review Times Three: 1/18-2/7
117. 149. Final. 114. 38
No significant 1st quarter runs by either team showed in the score, as the game was tied 32-32 going into the 2nd.
The two teams continued to go blow for blow until, with the score tied 46-46 at the 8:12 mark of the 2nd, the Thunder sparked an 11-2 run to take a 57-48 lead with 5:10 to play in the first half. The Magic would fire back with a 13-4 run to tie the game 61-61 with 1:27 remaining in the half. The first half ended with more toe-to-toe action, but the Thunder were able to take a 66-65 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The 3rd quarter started with a 7-2 Magic run that gave them a 72-68 lead with 9:47 left in the period. It was quickly negated by an 8-2 Thunder run that gave them a 76-74 lead with 8:41 remaining. The Magic answered right back with a 9-2 run that gave them an 83-78 lead with 6:12 to go in the 3rd. With the score 87-84 in the Magic’s favor at the 2:58 mark of the 3rd, the Thunder sparked a 10-2 run to take a 94-89 lead with 47.5 seconds left in the quarter. The Magic worked to cut this lead to 96-94 by the end of the 3rd.
Down 98-94 with 11:36 left in the game, the Magic scored 7 unanswered to claim a 101-98 lead with 9:45 to play. The Magic were holding a 114-112 lead with 2:31 to go, but would not score again. The Thunder didn’t tie the game until there were only 29.2 seconds to play, and Durant’s game-winning 3-ball fell with 0.5 seconds on the game clock. The Thunder avoided overtime with a 117-114 victory that gave them their second 2-0 season series sweep in as many games, and improved them to 38-13 overall.
Westbrook posted a beautiful 24-point, 19-rebound, 14-assist triple-double. Durant was good for 37 points, and Kanter provided 13 bench points.
Victor Oladipo ended his night with 37 points, Nicola Vucevic dropped 16, and Tobias Harris splashed in 15. Jason Smith contributed 13 bench points.
The Thunder would get two nights off before facing their biggest test of the season. They would try to become the first team all season to get a win in Golden State’s house, and prove they belong in the NBA Championship contender discussion.
Next: Thunder Comeback Attempt Falls Short