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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| THUNDER | 17 | 26 | 15 | 36 | 94 |
| MAGIC | 28 | 33 | 15 | 20 | 108 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (AP) -- Rashard Lewis fell one assist shy of his first triple-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Orlando Magic's 108-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Lewis, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, didn't play in the fourth quarter, which the Magic started with an 88-58 lead
His performance helped Orlando overcome the loss of starting point guard Jameer Nelson, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Nelson is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Vince Carter added 18 points and Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who put six players in double figures and won their third straight game.
Rookie James Harden scored a career-high 24 points off the bench, going 6 of 7 from 3-point range. He didn't get much help from the Oklahoma City starters, who were a combined 14 of 45 (31 percent) from the field. Kevin Durant had 12 points, and Jeff Green and Kyle Weaver 11 apiece for the Thunder.
The Magic didn't seem to miss Nelson, hitting five of their first six shots and scoring 28 points in the first quarter with Jason Williams making his first start of the season at point guard.
Anthony Johnson, who has played only mop-up minutes this season, took over in the second period and kept the offense humming. The 13-year pro, who had scored only four points all season, hit his first two shots and passed out two assists as the Magic expanded their lead to 20 points. Carter's second 3-pointer of the half made it 53-33 with 5:28 left.
Oklahoma City, which shot 57 percent in a 102-74 rout of Orlando two weeks ago, couldn't find a rhythm in the rematch. Durant shot only 3 of 7 in the first half and the Thunder made 41 percent as a team.
Harden had 12 points in the second period, including a pair of 3-pointers, but the Thunder still trailed 61-43 at halftime.
Orlando stated the third quarter with a 10-1 run to push its lead to 27 points. Howard finished off the run with a thundering dunk and the rout was on. Oklahoma City never got closer than 15 the rest of the game.
NOTES: The Magic have had eight different starting lineups in 11 games. Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Greinke was in the audience a day after winning the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke is from Apopka, a suburb of Orlando. Magic F Matt Barnes, who started seven games and played in all 11, didn't see action until the fourth quarter. Durant was averaging 32.8 points and shooting 47 percent in his last five games. The Magic are 5-0 this season when scoring 100 or more points. Oklahoma City was 3-0 this season against Eastern Conference teams before losing to the Magic.
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
STATS -- An active offseason seemed to put the Orlando Magic in prime position to repeat as Eastern Conference champions. Not being able to keep their key players on the court, however, could be a major obstacle.
With Jameer Nelson sidelined with a knee injury, the Magic look to overcome their latest absence and avenge their worst loss of the young season Wednesday night when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After making the second trip to the NBA finals in franchise history in June, Orlando (8-3) made a blockbuster trade to bring in Vince Carter in the offseason. The Magic also got Ryan Anderson in that deal and signed Matt Barnes, Jason Williams and Brandon Bass to add depth to the team that lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
While that depth has helped early, the Magic could struggle to live up to long-term expectations if they can't keep their top players on the court. Rashard Lewis missed the first 10 games because of a league suspension, Carter and Anderson each missed four with ankle injuries, and Bass and Marcin Gortat have missed one apiece because of illnesses.
Nelson's absence could have an even bigger impact. Nelson, who is Orlando's top playmaker and one of its emotional leaders on and off the court, will have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair torn cartilage in his left knee - an injury suffered in a 97-91 win over Charlotte on Monday.
He's expected to miss four to six weeks.
"I just informed Rashard about my knee a few minutes ago and he was just saying how we can't catch a break right now as a team," Nelson, a first-time All-Star last season, told the Magic's official Web site. "I just told him and the other guys that things like this happen and we'll weather the storm just fine."
Orlando has two veteran backup point guards in Williams and Anthony Johnson. Williams will start against the Thunder, and Nelson is confident both players will be able to contribute.
"Those two guys have been around a long time and know how to play this game," he said. "J-Will has won a championship and knows what he's doing, and A.J. has just what it takes to keep this team rolling."
Regardless of who starts, the Magic could have a tough time against the Thunder, who won the teams' first meeting 102-74 on Nov. 8. Kevin Durant had 28 points, and Russell Westbrook added 17 and 10 assists as Oklahoma City shot 57.1 percent from the field to snap a seven-game losing streak in the series.
Carter, Lewis and Anderson missed that game for the Magic.
The win over Orlando was the start of a 4-2 stretch for Oklahoma City (6-5), which continued its strong play with a 100-87 win over Miami on Tuesday. Durant had 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Westbrook added 24 points and seven assists as the Thunder won their third straight on the road.
"We're getting better every game," Westbrook said.
Oklahoma City had 32 losses before it got its sixth win last season. It took the team just 11 games to reach six wins in 2009-10.
"We wanted to start off playing basketball that our fans could be proud of," coach Scott Brooks said. "We are creating an identity of playing winning basketball."
Oklahoma City has lost nine of 11 in Orlando, however, including five straight by an average of 13.6 points. Durant has averaged 13.0 points and shot 29.0 percent in two career road games against the Magic.
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Live Baseline Blog:
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Game Notes:
Nov. 18 vs. Oklahoma City: Orlando is 18-23 all-time vs. Oklahoma City (11-8 at home, 1-1 at Oklahoma City, 4-14 at Seattle) during regular season play, including 0-1 this season…The Magic went 2-0 last season against the Thunder…The Magic have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Thunder franchise, and 10 of the last 15 overall…Orlando has won nine of the last 11 matchups at home…The Magic also went 1-1 in Oklahoma City when facing the Hornets in 2005 and 2007…Rashard Lewis played nine seasons with the then-Sonics (1998-2007) and ranks among Oklahoma City’s all-time list in seven different categories…Assistant Coach Patrick Ewing spent one season with the then-Sonics (2000-01)…Assistant Coach Brendan Malone served as a consultant with the then-Sonics during their run to the 1996 NBA Finals…Nov. 8 @ Oklahoma City – Thunder 102, Magic 74: Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 28 points, as Oklahoma City routed Orlando, 102-74, at Ford Center. The Thunder shot 57.1 percent from the floor. Russell Westbrook tallied 17 points and 10 assists, while Thabo Sefolosha recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds. Dwight Howard paced the Magic with 20 points. Orlando struggled on both ends, shooting just 36.8 percent from the field and getting outrebounded, 45-30. The Thunder trailed 25-23 after the first quarter, but seized control shortly thereafter, outscoring Orlando during the second quarter, 30-19. Oklahoma City led by as many as 33 points during the second half.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. THUNDER: 41 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Seattle, 11-19-02)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 45 pts., Rashard Lewis (@ Orlando, 1-11-06)
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