Kevin Durant lifts OKC Thunder past Magic

Turns out it wasn't just talk.

The struggling Magic gave the Thunder a pretty good scare Friday night before their youth ultimately backfired and allowed Oklahoma City to get out of Orlando with a much-needed 97-89 victory.

The win, which Kevin Durant two days earlier said his team must have, snapped a two-game skid and put the Thunder back on pace to finish with 60 wins.

“We knew we were going to be in a fight,” Brooks said after his team escaped. “That's how they play. That's a very, very good team that's feisty. Their record does not speak to what they're going to be.”

Orlando fell to 18-52 and dropped its 24th game in 28 outings. So to see the Thunder suddenly in a street fight was shocking to say the least, especially with the Magic missing two of its best players.

Nikola Vucevic, who hung 21 points and 14 rebounds on the Thunder in the last meeting, was ruled out with a concussion and missed his second straight game. Leading scorer Arron Afflalo then had to be helped off the court three minutes into the second quarter after injuring his hamstring.

The Thunder built a 15-point first-half lead and appeared ready to cruise to victory. But the Magic made it a game in the second half, starting the third period on a quick 10-0 spurt that supplied the Eastern Conference's second-worst team all the confidence it needed against the defending Western Conference champion.

“In the third quarter, they got hot on us,” Durant said. “But I think we took their punch and were able to get some stops and make some big plays in the fourth.”

Orlando tied it up twice in the third quarter before entering the final period trailing 70-66. The Magic still wouldn't go away. An 8-4 run to start the fourth quarter resulted in the third tie of the night, and there would be three more over the next five minutes as a seesaw battle ensued.