Oklahoma City defeats Orlando 100-77
My apologies if this appeared somewhere else:
MAGIC: Oklahoma City defeats Orlando 100-77
I love seeing our name in the report, and knowing that the team is here to stay!!
By Mac D'Amico | July 8, 2008
Orlando, Fla.- An unexpected cameo by Kevin Durant helped Oklahoma City to their first win in franchise history, in a 100-77 victory over the Orlando Magic. The win may have been in a summer league, but it is a win nonetheless.
Durant performed brilliantly, hitting 7 of 10 shots from the floor and being a leader on the court throughout. But the new Oklahoma City faithful should know that they have more than the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year. Their first round draft pick, Russell Westbrook, has played more consistent than anyone in the league thus far, showing uncanny quickness both on the offensive and defensive ends. Jeff Green has also shown growth in his game, averaging 25.5 points per game.
The first quarter was dominated by two of the young stars, as Durant and Westbrook combined for 19 points, four more than the entire Magic team. Durant dropped 10 points and grabbed two rebounds, while Westbrook scored nine with two assists and a steal.
On the Orlando side, James Augustine had a better first quarter than his entire game on Monday. He scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field.
Oklahoma City led by 14 at the end of the first, 29-15.
In the second, Courtney Lee did his best to keep the Magic in the game by scoring all six of his first half points. With the potent Oklahoma City lineup, it just wasn’t enough. Jeff Green scored seven of his 13 first half points in the second quarter, and Westbrook added another six, giving him 15 for the half. Durant cooled off a bit, going into the half with 13 points. Still, the team managed to go on a 14-4 run over the final 4:29 of the half.
Oklahoma City shot 62.1 percent from the field in the first half. Orlando also shot the ball well at a 45.2 percent clip, but only managed to score 33 points.
Durant and his teammates went into the break with a 51-33 lead.
The 18-point halftime lead quickly ballooned to 26 midway through the third quarter, as Jeff Green scored six quick points and Durant added another four to his total. Oklahoma City continued to click on all cylinders and finished the period with a 31-point advantage, at 81-50.
As Oklahoma City emptied its bench early in the fourth quarter, Orlando’s Courtney Lee came to life, splitting double teams for layups and hitting shots from outside. His 18 fourth quarter points weren’t enough, and the Magic never got closer than 23.
The trio of stars for Oklahoma City combined for 69 points. Jeff Green led the three with 28 points, 15 of those coming in the second half. Durant finished with 22 and Westbrook chipped in 19. They were the only three Oklahoma City players to finish in double digits.
Orlando also had three players score in double figures, led by Lee’s 27. James Augustine and Marcin Gortat added 10 a piece. Kevin Kruger played a solid game at the point guard position, dishing out eight assists while committing only one turnover. The Magic shot 46 percent from the field for the game, but only scored 77 points.
Oklahoma City was the first team to break 100 in this year’s summer league. They scored 100 points on 58.5 percent shooting from the field.
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