Dennis Schroder scores 18 in 4th to rally Thunder past Magic

ORLANDO, Florida — It’s difficult for anyone on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster to steal the spotlight from Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

Dennis Schroder managed to do it during a 126-117 comeback win over the Orlando Magic.


“Obviously, Dennis played an incredible second half in every aspect — defensively, offensively — and gave us great separation,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.

George scored 31 of his 37 points in the first half and Westbrook had his fourth straight triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists, but Schroder’s five-minute run in the fourth quarter pushed Oklahoma City to its sixth straight victory Tuesday night.

The backup point guard scored 18 of his 21 points — including two 3-pointers and a pair of three-point plays — in a stretch when he hit seven consecutive shots. He outscored Orlando 18-8 by himself during that spurt, helping the Thunder rally from a five-point deficit to a 13-point lead in the process.

“I do the same every night,” Schroder insisted. “I try to stay aggressive, look for my shot, look for open teammates and just make the right play. It’s not like I’m out there 48 minutes, but it’s working out so far.”

The Thunder needed a boost after George cooled off considerably in the second half. He was 11 of 16 in the first two quarters, but only 3 of 8 after halftime.

“When you can do that, play with such unselfishness, it opens up things for everybody,” Donovan said.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Evan Fournier had 17 points and Aaron Gordon added 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Terrence Ross scored 16 off the bench.

It was another familiar ending for the Magic, who have lost four straight and seven of eight. They had their chances, rallying from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to lead by five early in the fourth, but couldn’t sustain the comeback.

“We lost No. 1 because (Oklahoma City) is good and played well,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “But when you’re not going to run back on every single possession — which takes no talent, by the way — they’re going to make you pay and they made us pay.

“No. 2, we’re fouling them in the backcourt when they’re in the bonus. It’s crazy. It’s stupid, losing basketball. And then we decide in the fourth quarter, we’re not going to pass the ball to each other. We’ve got guys dribbling out the shot clock when you’ve got to move the ball. You’re not going to win doing that.”

The Thunder squandered a 15-point lead in the third and were down 101-98 in the fourth before Schroder righted the ship. He had a three-point play, a 3-pointer and a 15-foot jumper as Oklahoma City scored 10 straight points to take a 108-101 lead. He added another three-point play and 3-pointer to make it 116-103.

Ross knocked down consecutive 3s to help Orlando cut the deficit to 116-111 with four minutes to play, but that was as close as the Magic got.

TIP-INS

Thunder: George has at least two 3s in 29 straight games. Stephen Curry and James Harden are the only other players in NBA history to do that. … C Steven Adams sat out with a sore ankle.

Magic: Gordon had eight points in the first two minutes, then missed his last six shots of the half. … Orlando has lost four straight home games and is 12-15 at home. … Jerian Grant played against his brother, Thunder forward Jerami Grant. Their father, Harvey Grant, had an 11-year NBA career. Jerami outscored Jerian 18-5.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Continue their three-game road trip Friday at Miami.

Magic: Continue their three-game homestand Thursday against Indiana.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson scores 21 in 1st, Warriors roll past Magic

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA—A tighter defense that gave Orlando trouble all night and another early scoring outburst from Klay Thompson have the Warriors feeling a lot better about their position in the West.

A much-welcomed blowout of the Magic certainly helped, too, especially following three weeks of inconsistencies and a handful of surprising losses.

Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Golden State cruised past the Orlando Magic 122-92 on Thursday night.

“To have a game like that always helps, not confidence-wise but just to kind of try and get back in a rhythm,” said Green, who had nine points and 11 rebounds. “I don’t think this game really just puts us back in a rhythm, but it was a carryover from the last game’s fourth quarter. It was just using that momentum and letting it carry over.”

Stephen Curry added 25 points and nine assists after appearing to injure his right foot in the opening minutes, Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 54-14 and clinch their third straight Pacific Division title for the first time in franchise history.

Thompson, who owns the NBA record for most points in one quarter with 37 against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015, was almost perfect in the opening period against Orlando. The three-time All-Star made his first five shots beyond the arc and shot 8 of 11 overall while helping the Warriors to an early double-digit lead.

By comparison, the entire Magic team made only nine buckets in the first quarter.

“We were able to get out in transition just from our stops,” Thompson said. “It definitely helps when you make four or five in a row. You feel like every shot’s going to go in.”

It’s the seventh time in his career that Thompson has scored 20 or more in a single quarter and the third time this season. The other two came when Thompson had 23 points in the second and 20 in the third on his way to an NBA season-high 60 points against Indiana on Dec. 5.

“The defense really was kind of setting up some of those shots, too, in transition,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “When you can make stops it solves a lot of problems. We’ve struggled to score the last couple of weeks. Tonight, we broke through.”

Thompson’s fast start began not long after Curry limped off the court and into the Warriors’ locker room early in the first quarter after he stepped on the foot of Elfrid Payton.

The reigning two-time MVP returned a short time later and was greeted by a rousing ovation from the Oracle crowd. Curry then promptly threw an inbounds pass to Thompson for an easy bucket that put the Warriors up by double digits.

“Tweaked his ankle,” Kerr said. “He’s fine.”

Payton and Jeff Green scored 13 points apiece for Orlando.

“When Klay got hot, it was a bit deflating,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. “Once they get a lead like that, they’re too good. We were never able to make it a game again.”

Golden State’s win was its second straight following a season-high three-game skid and evened its record at 4-4 since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury in late-February.

Unlike the other three wins – all decided by eight points or fewer -Kerr’s team had little problem beating Orlando and sending the Magic to their fourth straight loss.

The Warriors led by 36 in the second half, allowing Kerr to sit most of his starters in the fourth quarter, and finished with their most lopsided win since beating Chicago by 31 on Feb. 8.

It’s not a common occurrence in the NBA, but Orlando was called for a technical foul for having six men on the court in the second quarter. Magic coach Frank Vogel blamed a lack of communication. “We didn’t communicate a sub,” Vogel said.

source: sports.inquirer.net