The Oklahoma City Thunder are showing basketball critics that they can win despite the absence of all-star guard Russell Westbrook. They also showed Wednesday night that they don't always need to have Kevin Durant score in the fourth quarter to win a close game.

Durant scored just two of his 26 points in the final 12 minutes, and his teammates -- including Derek Fisher, Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson filled in the gap, helping Oklahoma City pull away for a 106-97 win over a Minnesota Timberwolves team without Kevin Love and two other starters.

Kevin Durant flirted with a triple-double but finished with just 26 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. He's scored 25-plus points in 16 consecutive games, now the third-longest streak of the past five years.

The Orlando Magic have been awful this season, winning only four of their last 21 games played. The Magic had some rare support from their bench in their last outing, a 112-98 win at home over the Detroit Pistons. Victor Oladipo was fantastic with 20 points, scoring in the paint at will, while Kyle O'Quinn had himself a record six blocks as well in the win.

Thunder at Magic betting story lines:

Oklahoma City comes into this game with a 40-11 record and has posted a 18-8 record on the road this season. The Thunder have managed to capture the top seed in the Western Conference after the Spurs went on a recent skid.  The Thunder have won 15 out of their last 17 games, and earlier in the week they were able to capture a convincing 106-97 win at home over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves team.

Kevin Durant had his recent run of 30+ point games snapped but was named the Western Conference player of the month for January. He averaged 35.9 points per game while shooting 54.9 percent during the month, leading Oklahoma City to a 10-game winning streak. He scored 30 or more points in 12 straight games.

The Orlando Magic sit near the bottom of the cellar in the Eastern Conference this season coming into this game with a 14-37 record. They rank amongst the lowest in the league in rebounds, points per game and points allowed.

Magic guard Arron Afflalo has been one of the few bright spots for this team this season. Afflalo is averaging a team-best 20 points per game this season. The Magic are good at the guard position as they also have veteran Jameer Nelson, who is averaging 13.3 points per game to go along with 6.7 assists.
 
The Magic do not have much interior presence with the exception on Glen Davis, who is averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Thunder at Magic NBA Betting Odds and Key Trends

BetOnline has listed the Oklahoma City Thunder as an eight-point road favorite with the posted total set at 201 points.  The Oklahoma City Thunder are 30-21 ATS their last 51 games and 6-1 ATS their last seven road games. The Thunder are 11-2 ATS their last 13 games overall. The Magic are 12-13 ATS at home this season.

Free NBA Picks: Thunder at Magic Betting Predictions

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a good spot here for a blowout win. The Magic's last four wins have came at the hands of lowly teams in Milwaukee, Boston, Detroit and the Lakers. The Magic have struggled this season to keep things close against teams with .500 or better records.  Expect the Thunder to come out and take command of this game and setting the tone and easily covering the eight-point spread.

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