The hot shooting that kept the Thunder on top cooled ever so slightly for the second half, but they managed to keep their lead despite going 2 of 9 from the field in the first 8 minutes. The Magic stayed true to their reputation as excellent three-point shooters, and they have outscored the Thunder 21 to 12 off of threes at the end of the third period. The reason, however, that OKC has kept their lead is because Orlando's defense allowed them to shoot 58% up to this point.
Thunder Vs. Magic: Orlando Can’t Close Scoring Gap, Still Trail 96-86 After Three
One of the barometers for the Thunder's success is the performance of Nenad Krstic. When he scores 10+ points, they win almost all of their games. It bodes well, then, that he has a double double already with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He joins Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the Thunder's leading scorers with 25 and 26 respectively.
Dwight Howard notched his double double for the night as well, after a quiet start to the game he came alive in the second and third to lead his team in scoring with 25. He went 7-7 from the free throw line, and usually he shoots 57%. Joining him in double digits are Jason Richardson with 14 points and Ryan Anderson with 15.
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