The Oklahoma City Thunder have struggled on the road this year, but got their lengthy road trip off to a great start with a Sunday win over the Orlando Magic. The team is trying to get above .500 for the first time this season in the middle of a five-game road trip. The Thunder had lost four straight road games prior to the win over the Magic and will now try and keep the momentum going as they face off against the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
The Thunder had been averaging just 91.7 points on 35.1 percent shooting in their last three road games while losing by an average of 19.3 points. However, they stepped up against Orlando shooting 57.8 percent overall while making 25 of their first 32 field goals. Their road struggles are drastically different from their play at home. The team shot 52.6 percent in Friday's home win against Golden State while Kevin Durant put up 36 points and Russell Westbrook added 17 points and another 17 assists.
The Thunder are quickly trying to make up for the early-season absences of Durant and Westbrook that caused the team to fall to 3-12 at one point. However, now they can get above .500 for the first time this year and get a win streak of longer than two games going. Currently having won two games in a row, Oklahoma City has the right momentum heading into a showdown with Miami.
The Heat are also trying to get closer to .500. They are winners of their last four of six games after giving up just 89.2 points on 41.1 percent shooting to their opponents at home. They were in the middle of a four-game losing streak that saw the defense diving up 106.5 points on 48.4 percent shooting, but the team has done a solid job of bouncing back while wrapping up a 3-2 road trip. Chris Bosh and Luol Deng gotten momentum back by putting up 30 and 25 points respectively against the Sacramento Kings.
The Heat could be getting a huge boost in the form of Dwyane Wade's return to the court. He has been out the past two games after suffering a strained hamstring. The Heat are 5-5 when Wade is not on the court, something they hope does not happen too much more.
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