My Player (Season 3) Game #37 - Hapshoops32's Dynasty

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My Player (Season 3) Game #37

Posted on March 6, 2011 at 03:35 AM.

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DURANT WINS BATTLE, HAPPEL AND MAGIC WIN THE WAR

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Happel did his best to silence Durant and the Thunder all night

Oklahoma City, OK (AP) - Two of the best scorers in the league went at each other, and Kevin Durant came out on top. But, Magic forward Brian Happel finished on top in the more important category: the final score. Orlando picked up a hard fought road victory against a good Western Conference team, winning 90-82. There was some controversy going into the game between Happel and Durant, when Happel essentially called out Durant. He stood by his comments after the game, "Yeah, he outscored me, I'll give him that. But look at the scoreboard. Who won? That's right, the Magic won. Durant got his points, but he couldn't lead his team to victory, he couldn't make the plays down the stretch. We did. We won."

Marquee Matchup
Player		Stats
	Kevin Durant	45 points 19-34 FG 10 Reb.
	BRIAN HAPPEL	33 points, 13 Reb., 4 Blk., 3 Stl.

After the game, Durant was visibly frustrated, "Man, I don't know what to say. We should've won. He can keep running his mouth, but we really should have won that game. Don't worry though, I won't forget this." When asked if there was concern Happel may have lit a fire under the Thunder, Gilbert Arenas wasn't concerned, "It's all part of the game. He got in their heads. Sure, Durant got some points. But, he couldn't finish, and it's because Brian got in his head."

Happel denying Durant a close shot near the rim, one of 4 blocked shots on the night for Happel.

Orlando got started off the right foot, that's for sure. The Magic started the game with a 10-0 run, including 6 points from Happel. But, the Thunder fought back to within two to start the quarter. The Magic once again pulled away in the second quarter. A Happel jumper from the left wing at the 6:01 mark capped an 11-2 run, giving Orlando a double-digit lead. But once again, Oklahoma City climbed back into it. Jeff Green made a jump shot from the right baseline to tie the score up at 43 with 19 seconds left in the half, capping a 14-2 run for the Thunder. It was Oklahoma City starting the second half strong, jumping out to a 6 point lead. But then, Orlando turned things around and ended up leading by four to start the final quarter. It still remained a tight game, until the Thunder, including Durant, went cold in the last 3 minutes of the game. The Magic sealed it with four free-throws down the stretch, 2 by Gilbert Arenas and another 2 by Happel.

Happel and his Magic teammates had plenty to celebrate after pulling out a tough win on the road.

Happel led the way on offense for Orlando. The swingman scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He was also a force on defense, blocking 4 shots and collecting 3 steals. However, he also struggled taking care of the basketball, committing 4 turnovers. Happel also missed all 4 of his three-point attemps, making him 0 for his last 9. Happel and Andray Blatche were the only ones that really shot the ball well, going a combined 23-40. Blatche was solid on the low block, dropping 23 points and pulling down 7 rebounds. The rest of the starters, Stephen Jackson, Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas, were a combined 11-41. "We struggled a little more than usual," admitted Howard in the post game press conference, "But we made enough shots to get the job done."

Happel vs Conferences Stats - Career
Conference	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	TOPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
Western Conference	67	41.6	29.4	11.9	4.2	2.1	.628	.479	.932
Eastern Conference	113	40.9	27.5	13.4	3.7	2.2	.606	.447	.923

One of the big problems with Durant and the Thunder in this game was the lack of support he had. Durant had a great game, scoring 45 points on 19-34 shooting, while pulling down 10 rebounds. Nobody else did much of anything else. Russell Westbrook had 8 assists, but just 12 points. Nobody else scored in double-figures. Oklahoma City really struggled shooting the basketball, connecting on just 38% of their shots. Orlando was no better, hitting on 39% from the field. The three-point shooting may have been the worst ever seen on an NBA court. Orlando missed all 15 of its shots from long range. The Thunder only made 2-14.

Happel enjoyed this dunk so much, he just couldn't let go (of the rim, that is!)

Neither team really protected the basketball well. Oklahoma City coughed it up 15 times, while Orlando gave up 11 turnovers. The Magic won the rebounding battle, cleaning the glass 53 times to just 44 for the Thunder. Orlando also forced Oklahoma City into a lot of tough shots, clogging up the middle thanks to 11 blocked shots. Orlando must now try to shake off the poor shooting and get ready for another rival coming to town. This time, the Magic will welcome the 18-20 Boston Celtics to the Amway Center. Orlando won both games by an average of 25 points, and Happel is averaging a whopping 55 points per game against the C's.

Jan 13, 2013 - ORL at OKC
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Orlando Magic (31-6)	19	24	24	23	90
Oklahoma City Thunder (23-17)	17	26	20	19	82

Orlando Magic
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Gilbert Arenas	35	4-11	0-2	2-2	4	3	1	1	3	10
Stephen Jackson	40	4-18	0-6	0-0	5	4	1	1	1	8
Brian Happel	42	12-20	0-4	9-9	13	1	3	4	4	33
Andray Blatche	32	11-20	0-1	1-1	7	1	3	1	0	23
Dwight Howard	36	3-12	0-0	1-2	9	1	2	3	0	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
DeJuan Blair	20	3-5	0-0	1-4	13	0	1	1	0	7
Marcin Gortat	9	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
John Salmons	7	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	1	3	0	0	0
Mack Bledsoe	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Cory Coleman	10	0-3	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wayne Washington	7	0-4	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	0
Ryan Anderson	3	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		38-96	0-15	14-18	53	13	15	11	11	90

Oklahoma City Thunder
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Westbrook	41	4-11	0-0	4-5	7	8	4	0	4	12
J. Harden	36	3-13	1-4	0-0	5	0	1	0	2	7
K. Durant	40	19-34	1-7	6-7	10	2	0	1	2	45
J. Green	36	3-8	0-1	0-0	4	0	1	1	2	6
C. Aldrich	13	0-1	0-0	0-0	5	0	1	0	0	0
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
C. Schneider	29	2-5	0-0	0-0	4	0	1	2	2	4
M. Conley	17	1-9	0-0	0-0	1	4	1	0	2	2
S. Ibaka	11	1-1	0-0	0-0	4	0	1	0	0	2
B. Warner	8	1-4	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	2
D. Cook	7	0-3	0-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
E. Maynor	4	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	2
T. Sefolosha	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		35-91	2-14	10-12	44	14	10	4	15	82