March 1st, TD Water House Center Arena.
Night falls.
The Thunder's third road trip, the first stop was the Magic.
The Magic's record is just okay, with 23 wins and 13 losses, which is not comparable to the Thunder, but they are still among the top four in the Eastern Conference and have good strength.
Durant and Howard had a great time chatting. Basketball is a happy game, and everyone feels happy playing with them.
What is the true meaning of victory and defeat?
As a human being, the most important thing is to be happy.
This is very Warcraft!
At the beginning of the game, the two sides fought back and forth in the first half, and neither could do anything to the other.
After all, the Thunder's inside line couldn't withstand the overturning impact of Howard and Glen Davis.
Of course, the Magic's perimeter is not doing well either. Durant, Westbrook, and Su Bei also beat the Magic's perimeter to a pulp.
In the first half of the game, the Magic relied on Howard's dominance of the penalty area to lead the Magic to a 56-53 score and a 3-point lead.
The closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage. Coupled with the advantage of the basket, the Magic takes the lead, which is reasonable!
In the third quarter, the music continued, and then the battle continued, and the Magic's outside line blossomed.
“When the Magic found their shooting touch from the outside, they came out with a true one-star, four-shooting tactic.
This Magic team is a championship-level team.
Howard and the outside shooters complement each other, both inside and outside.
And Kotgrew’s organizational control basically has no flaws. The Magic team in this mode is really unstoppable..."
No way, this is the Magic's winning formula. If you use other tactics, as long as you can play the tactics you are good at, they will basically be a very difficult team.
Even a simple pick-and-roll tactic can show the charm of flowers of different colors.
In the third quarter, the Magic's offense was full of firepower, beating the Thunder with a score of 30 to 22, extending the lead to 11 points.
There was only 12 minutes left for the Thunder to reverse the score.
The game started in the fourth quarter, Westbrook took a rest, and the Thunder formed a desperate lineup.
Collison, Durant, Su Bei, Harden, Billups.
The Magic were very comfortable, resting Howard and Nelson, and fielding a rotation of Glen Davis, Earl Clark, Turkoglu, JJ Redick and Chris Duhon.
With an 11-point lead, the Magic can really take advantage.
“The Thunder attacked the ball, Billups brought the ball downfield, and everyone spread out.
Billups singled out Duhon with his body..."
Duhong, who had lost 185 days, had no choice but to score points defensively. Facing Billups, who was very good at using his body to bully his opponent, he could only fight and retreat.
You know, Howard is not on the court. If Billups is allowed into the penalty area, it will be difficult to save the basket. This option is not advisable.
"Tekoglu can only leave Jiangsu North open and attack Billups from a flank.
Peng——!
As if predicting in advance, Billups sent a scalpel-like pass to the ground, sending the basketball to Su Bei, who was 45 degrees empty on the left.
He caught the ball, lifted it up, and deflected Turkoglu's blocking shot, which was rushing back to block the shot. Su Bei chose a steady scoring method, dribbling the ball inward, reaching the penalty area, leaping up, and launching a shot in the air... "
Swish——!
With the knife in hand, Su Bei attacked the basket with two points and easily put the basket in.
The score difference became 9 points.
"Very nice attack choice!
Howard did not stay on the court. Su Bei broke through instead of betting on whether there were bullets in his three-point pistol. This is very reasonable..."
"With or without Howard, the Magic are two different teams.
Whether it's offense or defense..."
After being chased by 2 points, the Magic did not panic. After all, they could not hope that Howard would play the entire game.
People have to leave some of their physical energy for love outside the court!
In the few minutes after Howard left the game, he had a double-digit lead, so what else would he need?
Duhong controlled the ball to the frontcourt and immediately handed the damn basketball to the only core player on the court.
"Tekoglu held the ball and challenged Su Bei one-on-one, posing as a three-threat attack. Su Bei was half a step away and did not allow a breakthrough or a shot.
With a flick of the ball, Turkoglu immediately dribbled the ball forward, trying to use his physical strength to beat Jiangsu Bei.
Fighting and retreating, Su Bei did not lose his position. When Durant assisted in defense, he launched a pincer attack on Kotglu..."
Peng——!
With a back pass, Kotglu coquettishly sent the basketball to the left three-point corner. JJ Redick, who had just moved there without the ball, was empty.
"Harden was following the defense, Earl Clark blocked it, JJ Redick lifted it up, and calmly shot a three-pointer from the corner..."
The Thunder could only listen to the gunfire.
The Turkish magician's reputation is not in vain. Although his data has declined seriously, he still doesn't create too few scoring opportunities.
Bang-dang——!
“The three-point shot missed!
The opportunity came up, but JJ Redick didn't use it.
Without Howard to grab offensive rebounds, the Thunder protected the backcourt rebounds.
Collison quickly passed the ball to Billups, and the Thunder's counterattack began.
Su Bei, Durant, and Harden all rushed forward with their long legs..."
Duhong wanted to use his speed to block Billups' acceleration. Unexpectedly, Billups was very stable. He changed direction to catch the ball and dribbled. Then he used his body to get into position. Duhong broke through the defense and passed by. Dropped each other.
The Thunder's speed increase has indeed been affected, but Davis, known as the big baby, is holding back, and the Thunder's frontcourt is still in a situation of overplaying and underplaying.
"Billups passed halftime, pushed with both hands, favored Su Bei alone, and distributed the ball to the steady hands of Su Bei.
Receive the ball, break through with the ball, and JJ Redick defends.
Peng——!
There was no greed for credit, Su Bei passed the basketball to the middle, Harden was free, took the ball and European-stepped the ball for a layup..."
Swish——!
Earl Clark didn't dare to reach out to block the shot and easily gave up 2+1. He could only watch Harden calmly succeed in a layup.
The Thunder chased two more points, and the point difference became 7 points.
There is still room for error, don’t panic.
The basketball was still in Turkoglu's hands. Outside the 75-degree three-point line on the left, he held the ball to pose as an offensive three-threat.
Su Bei still took half a step to protect the pressure on breakthroughs and shots.
"What the hell?
Kotglu, who is a smart player, actually has no martial ethics. Suddenly, he jumped up from the ball, raised his hand and tried to shoot a three-point pull-up jumper..."
Su Bei was still careless and did not dodge.
Moreover, it was useless to dodge. With his height of 2.08 meters, he had the advantage, so jumping on him was just a bet that Turkoglu's three-point pistol had no bullets.
Bang-dang——!
Wrong guess, the basket didn't care for him.
You'll die if you try, Turkoglu's three-point shot missed.
“In the scramble for rebounds, Collison resisted Davis, and Durant jumped up and protected the rebound.
Huh?
Durant did not distribute the ball, but advanced with the ball himself, changed direction and passed JJ Redick who came to interrupt, and rushed up like a defender dribbling the ball.
It's so abnormal. Durant, who is 2.11 meters tall, is not only fast, but also very stable in handling the ball. The Thunder have another chance to counterattack.
Su Bei and Harden, one on the left and one on the right, rushed to the frontcourt to unlock their physical talents.
Durant rushed over to the half court and had to be interrupted. Kotglu stepped forward and the basketball was passed. Su Bei received the basketball from the 70-point line on the left, one step away from the three-point line!
Oh haha!
What the hell kind of operation is this?
Without a solid two-pointer, Su Bei took the ball and basically made no adjustments. He just pulled up and shot a chasing three-point jumper. This was so random..."
Swish——!
With the knife in hand, Su Bei's three-pointers were never missed and he accurately hit the basketball.
Three points scored.
The score difference became 4 points!
"What a show!
This shot is so strong!
The skilled people in Northern Jiangsu are so bold, they are comparing themselves with themselves!
He could have rushed to the basket and scored two points steadily, but he chose a more heart-wrenching three-pointer.
With 5 points and 1 assist, he led the Thunder to a 7-0 offensive and stopped the game..."
Stan Van Gundy did not expect that Subei's offense would explode. This brief pause was just a helpless adjustment to interrupt the Thunder's offensive rhythm.
At the same time, the trump card was played out, and Howard, Jr. and Richardson returned to the court.
The game is back.
Sure enough, the strength of the Magic team with Howard and without Howard is not the same.
Although JJ Rekedi's mid-range shot failed, but...
"The rebound was grabbed by Howard, and he immediately passed the ball to Nelson. He broke through with the ball, stopped for a two-point jumper, and there was..."
Swish——!
Nelson Jr. scored a two-pointer to help the Magic's offense stop the bleeding in time.
There is no attack that cannot score. If not, try the second time.
Howard's rebounding advantage allows the Magic to attack wave after wave, non-stop. What can you use to top it up?
The score difference came to 6 points.
"Billups brought the ball to the frontcourt and saw Su Bei being closely guarded by Richardson. He did not continue to favor Su Bei alone. Instead, he took the rain and dew and handed the damn basketball into Durant's hands. .
Outside the left 75-degree three-point line, he held the ball to pose as an offensive three-threat. He faced Earl Clark, an ordinary role player. After taking a step, he retracted his feet, changed direction in front of his body, and broke through with the ball. Becoming a reckless person..."
Durant, a reckless man, has more skills than Westbrook. Earl Clark really can't compare.
Fighting and retreating, hoping to wait for Howard's defense to sweep away, but Durant, as he predicted, broke through to a comfortable position, pulled out the ball and shot.
Swish——!
"Yes!
Durant broke through and made a two-pointer with an emergency stop.
It's not just that Durant is too strong, it's also that the Magic are too weak.
None of them can play at the power forward position..."
Durant took over from Su Bei and took the ball to attack and score points.
Within two blows, Earl Clark was blown away.
No choice, the Magic can only replace Anderson and give it a try.
It's just a pity that Ryan Anderson's defense is even worse. He is an evacuation power forward.
A shooter who can shoot three-pointers is a perfect fit for Howard's one-star, four-shooter system.
The offense is useless, and the defense is just a matter of giving away points.
“Durant went into death mode and took over the Thunder offense.
The Magic's defense was blown away by Durant's shot..."
Durant, who has found his shooting touch, is so terrifying.
It can be cast inside or outside, no matter how you cast it.
Moreover, it was either a three-pointer or a two-pointer from long range, which left the Magic with no defense at all.
Howard couldn't sweep out and was trapped in the penalty area, and other opposing players couldn't withstand it. Even if Turkoglu came on, he couldn't withstand it. The difference in talent was not a billion points.
Durant assumed a three-threat stance, Turkoglu took half a step, Durant pulled up and shot, but he didn't just pull out and just rub outside.
That wingspan is beyond Turkoglu's reach, and that accuracy is so hot that you can't stand it.
When Turkoglu was close to him, Durant swayed left and right, leaving space, and immediately broke through with the ball. The speed, the change of direction...
It’s really unworthy!
The Magic's power forward position sucks.
Durant takes out the scythe and can easily harvest heads.
In a single quarter, he made 5 of 6 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 18 points and 5 rebounds. Is there any other method?
Are there any laws?
The brilliance of Su Bei's handsome boy was threatened by Durant. With Su Bei and Durant's successive explosions, the Thunder beat the Magic with a score of 37 to 23, and once again completed a great reversal in the fourth quarter. .
Buzz—!
As the buzzer sounds, the red light lights up, and the game time is over.
The score was 107 to 104. The Thunder made a great escape in the last quarter and successfully defeated the Magic with a 3-point advantage, extending their winning streak to 14 games and giving the March schedule a good start.
Durant made 12 of 21 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, and 9 of 9 free throws. He scored 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, fully displaying his status as the scoring champion.
Westbrook made 10 of 19 shots, 7 of 10 free throws, and scored 27 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds. The data looked beautiful, but in fact, the efficiency was not high.
The Magic's point guard position is also a big flaw. Neither Nelson nor Duhong can withstand his impact. Their performance can only be said to be just okay.
Su Bei made 7 of 13 shots, 4 of 9 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. The first three quarters were mediocre, but in the crucial fourth quarter, they played a strong performance, scoring 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, without missing any senior role players. face.
Howard made 14 of 20 shots, 5 of 8 free throws, and scored 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. It cannot be said that his performance was not outstanding, but it was a pity that he couldn't help his teammates if they were useless!
】
Richardson scored 16 points, Nelson Jr. scored 15 points, Turkoglu scored 11 points, and Ryan Anderson scored 14 points. It seemed that the Magic had more players scoring in double figures, while the Thunder only had three players scoring in double figures.
But the combined score is 85 points. On average, it is 28.5 points. One is better than two. No matter how many there are, there is no quality and there is no use!
…
