Magic-Thunder Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Dec 24 2011 2:48PM

The Orlando Magic taking backward steps come playoff time - and maybe the front office's inability to help change that - made Dwight Howard restless and ready to move on.

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder don't believe they are anywhere close to peaking following a deep postseason run.

It seemed for a while this might not be the case, but Howard is starting the season with the Magic - though he could be gone by the end - as they visit Durant and the Thunder on Sunday.

When the lockout ended earlier this month, it seemed inevitable Howard would be leaving Orlando. He had publicly requested a trade, but the Magic were unable to complete a deal to New Jersey for the 26-year-old center and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Although a trade could be worked out in the future, Orlando says it hopes to keep Howard, who is entering the final year of his contract, and he has said he'd be willing to stay - if improvements to the roster are made.

Orlando has made the playoffs in five straight seasons, but after reaching the NBA finals in 2009, it fell in the conference finals the following year and was ousted in the first round by Atlanta following a 52-30 regular season in 2010-11.

"You only get one time around the track. There's no reset button. You don't want to miss out on any opportunity to win," said Howard, who averaged a career-best 22.9 points last season and was second in the league with 14.1 rebounds per game.

"You gotta do what it takes to win."

Unlike Howard, Durant is happy with the pieces around him. Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference finals after going 55-27 and winning a Northwest Division title. The Thunder would lose in five games to eventual champion Dallas.

Despite falling short, it left the young team wanting more and with the additional experience, Oklahoma City thinks this could be the year to take the next step.

"It's not something that we talk about. I think that true champions don't talk about it," said Scott Brooks, heading into his third full season as coach. "They just go about their work, about their business that this is another day that we have to work together."

While the packed NBA schedule could pose problems for the league's older teams, that likely won't be a problem for a youthful Thunder squad led by Durant, the NBA's two-time defending scoring champion.

Durant averaged 27.7 points last season and has a good supporting cast including Russell Westbrook (21.9 points, 8.2 assists) and James Harden (12.2 ppg).

While Westbrook is coming off his best scoring season, his turnovers were up to 3.9 a game and rumors of discord between him and Durant persist.

If the two can co-exist and if the team gets bigger contributions from Kendrick Perkins, who lost 30 pounds in the offseason after struggling with knee problems following his trade from Boston, the Thunder believe they can win the West.

However, with the element of surprise gone, Perkins, a playoff veteran from his time with the Celtics, knows the Thunder will have to work even harder.

"By us making it to the Western Conference finals last year, that puts a target on your back," Perkins said. "Going into the regular season, you've got to understand that every game is going to be a playoff-atmosphere type of game whether you're at home or on the road."

Like Perkins, Hedo Turkoglu is hoping to have a better season and he could play a major role in determining whether Orlando can compete in the loaded East. The 32-year-old swingman is coming off a down season, averaging 11.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 56 games for the Magic after a trade from Phoenix.

"It's a new year for me," Turkoglu said. "I came in here last year trying to do things in middle of the year. Now I'm starting off the season and just trying to be focused and do the things I'm really good at and trying to be what I was a couple of years ago."

To provide help inside for Howard, the Magic picked up 6-foot-9 Glen Davis in a trade with Boston for Brandon Bass. He averaged career bests of 11.7 points and 5.4 rebounds.

While Orlando has won nine of 11 against Oklahoma City, the teams split two meetings last season and the Thunder have won the last two at home, including 125-124 last season.

Durant had 36 points in that win while Westbrook added 32 and recorded a triple-double. Howard averaged 39.5 points and 16.5 boards in the season series.

Durant helps Thunder beat Magic in opener

Posted Dec 25 2011 11:59PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma City Thunder come into the new season with lofty goals. They looked very much like a contender in their opener.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points to help the Thunder win their opener with a 97-89 victory Sunday night over Orlando, a team that has been dealing with Dwight Howard's trade demands since training camp opened.

While Durant shined, Howard struggled, held to just 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

"We know that are outside expectations," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But there aren't absolutes or guarantees. Our guys just work. I know it gets boring at times, but we like that. We're not going to change. We're all in the same boat on that. You can never become complacent. It has to be about the team."

Durant led the league in scoring the past two seasons, including averaging 27.7 last season. On Sunday, he was 11-of-19 from the field and added five rebounds and six assists.

James Harden added 19 points and the Thunder duo of Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed limited Howard.

The Thunder lost to Dallas last year in the Western Conference finals but are expected to one of the top teams this season. They led throughout, including by 18 at the end of the third quarter and really were never in danger of losing.

"It's something we can't control," Durant said of expectations. "We have to keep getting better every day and see what happens."

The Magic looked like a team that was still dealing with the distraction of Howard and his trade demands, which dominated headlines in Orlando since the lockout ended. The All-Star center has softened his stance lately.

"I didn't like the pace of our offense," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I thought we were moving slowly. I thought the ball didn't move."

NBA commissioner David Stern weighed in on the Howard situation Sunday, saying before the game, "That's the beauty of the soap opera. How it plays out, we'll wait and see."

Howard, the Magic's star center averaged more than 22 points per game last year, shooting 59 percent for the season.

He did have 15 rebounds.

A 13-2 run in the second quarter, after Durant and Russell Westbrook checked back in, helped the Thunder get out to a 17-point lead. They led 55-41 at the break. Durant had 14 points in the first half.

Ryan Anderson scored 25 points and Jameer Nelson added 18 for the Magic, who shot just 37 percent from the field and had 18 turnovers.

"It was a good game for us," Brooks said. "Everybody chipped in. We had a lot of good plays tonight."

Notes: Durant missed five free throws. He is a career 88 percent free throw shooter ... The Thunder outscored the Magic in the paint, 32-30 but were outrebounded 45-43.

Magic-Thunder notebook

By Randy Renner, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday December 25, 2011 11:46PM

THE FACTS: It was a Merry Christmas night in Oklahoma City as Thunder fans celebrated a 97-89 win by the home team over the visiting Orlando Magic. The Magic started the game shooting 88.9 percent (8-for-9) but the Thunder defense clamped down limiting Orlando to just 30.6 percent (22-for-72) the rest of the way. Magic center Dwight Howard torched the Thunder for a combined 79 points in two games last season. Tonight the OKC defense led by Kendrick Perkins held "superman" to just 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting. Ryan Anderson led Orlando with 25 points including six 3-pointers.

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points. He also handed out six assists and pulled down five rebounds. Thunder sixth man James Harden added 19. Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook was up and down. He scored 14 points but he took 17 shots to get there. He dished out six assists but turned the ball over seven times.

QUOTABLE: "Our defense was really good, they're one of the best offensive teams in the league. Perk was really good on Howard ,he gave us everything he had."
-- Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.

THE STAT: Last season in two games against Oklahoma City, Dwight Howard scored a combined 79 points on 27-for-39 shooting. Those games were played without Perkins in the lineup. Before the game Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters, "Perkins has played him (Howard) better than anyone," over the years. Tonight it showed as Howard was limited to just 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

TURNING POINT: A 22-7 Thunder run from the last couple of minutes of the first quarter to midway through the second gave Oklahoma City a comfortable lead. Orlando crawled back to within ten in the third quarter and then went 14 straight possessions without scoring a field goal to finish out the third. A 64-54 game with 7:53 left in the third became 81-63 at the end of that quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "Offensively we weren't good all night, except for the first four minutes. I didn't like our pace, lots of one pass then shots."
-- Magic head coach Van Gundy.

QUOTABLE III: "Even (Ryan Anderson, 25 points) didn't help us on offense with screens or looking for any of the other guys."
-- Van Gundy

HOT: The Magic hit eight of their first nine shots (88.9 percent). Dwight Howard did most of the damage during that time going 3-for-4...After being held to 2-for-5 shooting in the first quarter, Thunder forward Durant hit his first three shots in the second...Ryan Anderson finished 6-for-12 on 3-pointers

NOT: After nailing eight of their first nine shots of the game the Magic hit just one of their next 15 to finish out the quarter. Their shooting percentage went from 88.9 percent down to just 37.5 percent...Howard started the quarter 3-for-4 and finished it 0-for-3...Thunder point guard Westbrook was 2-for-8 (25 percent) in the first half and finished 6-for-17...OKC shooting guard James Harden was 1-for-4 in the first half...Orlando guard Jason Richardson was 1-for-7 in the first 24 minutes...The Magic were 0-for-6 on second chance opportunities in the first half and finished with five points on 2-for-12. While Orlando's Anderson was 6-for-12 on threes the rest of his team was just 2-for-12 from long range...Durant, usually an outstanding free throw shooter was just 6-for-11 from the stripe.

QUOTABLE IV: "I don't mean to disrespect a legend but I felt like Shaq tonight."
-- Kevin Durant on missing five free throws.

INSIDE THE ARENA: NBA Commissioner David Stern flew to Oklahoma City after watching the Heat-Mavs game in Dallas. He met with reporters briefly then watched the contest. Also in the crowd and sitting courtside was LA Dodgers star Matt Kemp, an Oklahoma City native. University of Oklahoma womens basketball coach Sherri Coale was also at the game along with former Sooner football coaching legend Barry Switzer.

GOOD MOVE: Midway through the first quarter Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook steals a pass then leads a fast break feeding an open Kevin Durant for a thunderous slam to tie the game at 18.

GOOD MOVE TOO: Magic forward Ryan Anderson, driving along the baseline, put a spin move on Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, who couldn't keep up as Anderson went to the rim and scored.

BAD MOVE: While running the OKC offense in the third quarter Westbrook telegraphed a pass to the left wing and Anderson stepped out and stole it passing to Jameer Nelson whose shot was blocked by Ibaka. The Magic scored on the possession when Hedo Turkgolu grabbed the ball and passed back to Nelson who laid it in. It was the first of four straight turnovers by Westbrook.

NOTABLE: After finishing last season with 14 straight regular season sellouts the Thunder began the 2011-12 season with another full house.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Monday vs Rockets, Thursday vs Nets, Friday @ Charlotte. For the Thunder, Monday @ Minnesota, Wednesday @ Memphis, Thursday vs Suns.

• Magic: Liggins, Orton
• Thunder: Hayward, Reid

• Magic: --
• Thunder: Mohammed, Perkins

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #11 Derrick Collins, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:26