Durant Struggles Against Childhood Hero

ORLANDO -- You figured it might be a long night for young Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City teammates after he spent a good portion of his pre-game chat Wednesday talking about idolizing Magic veteran guard Vince Carter.

"When I was growing up, I always thought Vince was the best. I still look up to him, and I'm still a big fan,'' Durant said. "I used to watch his highlights as a kid. When I was about 11, my mom bought me a Vince Carter jersey and shorts, his Raptors uniform, and I wore it to every game. I guess that's a little embarrassing to say now, but it's something I'll never forget.''

Durant's innocence was refreshing. It made him and everyone around him smile. But it's probably not the kind of competitive edge that the Thunder needed from him. He is on the verge of becoming an NBA All-Star, but he sure didn't play like one Wednesday night, sinking to his worst performance of the season.

The Thunder fell meekly, 108-94, trailing from start to finish. Durant managed just 12 points in a pedestrian 26 minutes, looking more like he wanted to be watching Carter instead of competing against him.

Oklahoma City had no chance without him.

"It's tough to lose like this,'' he said afterward. "I can see why they (Magic) are picked to win the East again. You can't guard them. I was just a tough game for us. I talked to Vince. He said he was proud of me.''

Durant, 21, came into the game looking like he wanted to become the youngest scoring champion in league history, averaging 28.5 points, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade. Trailing him directly were LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki, sandwiching him between some future Hall of Famers.

He had averaged 32.8 points in the previous five games, including a big victory in Miami Tuesday night when he had 32 points. In just his third NBA season, he has been everything the Thunder had hoped when they made him the No. 2 pick of the 2007 Draft. He is a star in the making, and a good kid, too.

"There are so many great scorers in this league,'' Durant said. "I can't even think about a scoring title. Just being in that company is nice. Those guys have proven themselves, been to the playoffs, the Finals, won championships. I've got a long way before I can get there.''

The Thunder (6-6) are hoping to establish themselves now as a rising young team, centered around a nucleus that includes Durant, point guard Russell Westbrook and forward Jeff Green. They are the second youngest team (average age of 25 years) in the league, and opened the season with the youngest starting lineup (23 years).

They also have won in Detroit, San Antonio and Miami. On Wednesday, though, they looked awful, which might have been a scheduling loss. It was their sixth game in nine days.

"I think Kevin was frustrated tonight,'' said Thunder Coach Scott Brooks. "The Magic did a good job guarding him, and getting into him. But he'll bounce back. He usually does from bad games. He's still learning.''