Thunder Overcomes Double-Digit Deficit To Top Magic

After trailing by 11 at the end of the third quarter, Oklahoma City poured on the offense in the fourth quarter to knock off the Orlando Magic 105-102 Thursday, extending their win streak to seven games and take a two-game lead for the best record in the league.

Orlando star Dwight Howard took over in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his 33 points, to put the Magic in front 81-70, but the Thunder clamped down on the defensive end of the court, allowing Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City offense to return the favor.

Down 10 points with just seven minutes left to play, the Thunder snapped off a 15-3 run – nine from Durant, including the final five points – to take a 93-81 lead with 3:21 left on the clock.

Howard stopped the bleeding with a turnaround hook shot and the teams traded three pointers, Durant hitting a deep one at the 2:12 mark to take a five-point advantage. Howard hit another short jumper to cut the lead, but Durant scored the next four points to take a 103-96 lead with just 16 seconds left on the clock.

Jameer Nelson responded with a three-pointer of his own, cutting the lead to 103-99, putting the Magic back in contention. Durant was intentionally fouled, but Nelson knocked down yet another three-pointer to make it a one-possession game.

On the inbound, Daequan Cook broke free and was intentionally fouled, but missed both of the free throws to keep the Magic in the game. Jason Richardson was on the receiving end of the outlet, inbound bass pass, but his long three-pointer was off the mark, ending the game.

Durant finished with a game-high 38 points, while grabbing eight rebounds and three assists, shooting 12 of 21 from the floor. Westbrook did his share of scoring and distributing, scoring 29 points and dishing out 10 assists, while James Harden scored 13 points coming off of the bench.

Howard was the top scorer for the Magic, scoring 33 points and grabbing nine rebounds, with Jason Richardson contributing 16 points and Ryan Anderson adding 15.

Oklahoma City will take a day off to travel, before taking on the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena Saturday at 6 p.m.