NBA Game Preview - Oklahoma City at Orlando

Wed Mar 29, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic know from several run-ins with Russell Westbrook the past few years that he is a handful.

The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard was in Orlando in October 2015, he forced overtime with a half-court shot and had 48 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in a double-overtime victory.

In the November 2016 meeting between the Thunder and Magic in Oklahoma City, Westbrook finished with 41 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists, but the Magic won by two.

This season without Kevin Durant at his side, Westbrook is putting up massive numbers. It is difficult to stop him. And that will be the focus for the Magic as the teams meet Wednesday at the Amway Center.

"He's going to make plays," Magic point guard Elfrid Payton said after the Magic's practice Tuesday. "That team is going to make wild plays. But you got to keep fighting and keep fighting to the end and you will have a chance to win."

The Magic are coming off a 131-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Cory Joseph had a season-high 13 assists and DeMar DeRozan went off for 36 points. Orlando's defense struggled to corral and contain both players off the dribble, allowing them to get to their spots and set up teammates.

That is the exact kind of attack Westbrook is known for. He will put pressure on the Magic's defense in just about every way. And he will certainly take up most of the scouting report when the teams meet.

Even then, it may not be enough to stop this tour de force.

Westbrook keeps opposing coaches up at night as they prepare to play the Thunder. This season has only unleashed him even more.

Without Durant, Westbrook has been on an individual statistical assault in a way that has not been seen since Oscar Robertson.

Westbrook is set to break the record for most triple-doubles in a season. He is at 37; the record is 41. He will likely become the first player to average a triple-double since Robertson's 1962 season.

What sets Westbrook apart is not just his physical and athletic talents but his will. The Dallas Mavericks saw that Monday night.

Oklahoma City erased a 13-point deficit with 3 1/2 minutes to play, winning 92-91 on a Westbrook drive and bank shot with a few seconds to play.

That possession was set up by Westbrook crowding and harassing J.J. Barea and tipping an inbounds pass off Barea.

Westbrook is everywhere. And when he gets things going, there is no way to defend it.

"When the ball was being taken out of bounds, it gave him a head of steam," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He can get a full run and you're kind of backing up because at that point you're worried about him getting to the rim. But then he obviously creates that space with his speed, and then he can stop when he gets to 15 feet -- that's about as good a shot as you're going to get."

The Thunder sit one game behind the fifth-place Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference standings. The seventh-place Memphis Grizzlies are 2 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City.