Even with Wednesday night's loss at Orlando, the Thunder knows a good thing is in place. Oklahoma City owns a winning record on the road (4-3), and its 6-6 overall mark is good for a top-eight spot in the Western Conference. The team is masking its inexperience with hustle, grit and athleticism. Thunder players head into games now expecting success and are disappointed when they don't win. "Obviously, it's big for us to be able to get these wins on the road," center Nick Collison said. "The biggest benefit is we now go into every game thinking we can win. If we play well, we feel we have a chance no matter who we play or where we play."
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said his team is finally forming an identity. OKC knows the season is long, but the opening stretch is promising and something to build from.
"We wanted to start off playing basketball that our fans could be proud of," Brooks said. "We are creating an identity of playing winning basketball."
MAGIC 108, THUNDER 94: Oklahoma City couldn't pull of the back-to-back Florida sweep, falling Wednesday night at Miami. The Thunder, winners the previous night in Miami, returned home 6-6.
Rookie James Harden came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points, hitting 6-of-7 3-pointers, but that was about all the OKC offense could muster. Kevin Durant had just 12 points, and Jeff Green and little-used Kyle Weaver added 11 each.
Magic forward Rashard Lewis flirted with his first triple-double but finished one assist shy. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Vince Carter added 18 points, and Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
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