Orlando Magic @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK | Game ID: 22300546
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 23 26 37 26 112ORL 21 19 33 27 100
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Thunder beat short-handed Magic 112-100 to tie Timberwolves for Western Conference lead
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Time after time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander punished the Orlando Magic by making difficult shots while getting fouled.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Magic 112-100 on Saturday night to tie Minnesota for the Western Conference lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled six times on made baskets and made all six free throws.
“A lot of core strength,” he said. “I work on my core a lot. That’s that’s the main thing I work on in summertime. And then I’m always working on my touch around the basket. I just try to focus. After you get hit and you have a shot to make it a three-point play, it’s worth the second of focus to try and get three points.”
Gilgeous-Alexander did his damage without making a 3-pointer. He missed all four of his 3-point tries, but was 13 of 16 inside the arc and made 11 of 12 free throws.
“Shai is a tough guard,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. "You put multiple defenders on him. By the time you send a double team, he’s looking to turn the corner. And that’s what makes him a great player.”
Jalen Williams scored 16 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 to help the Thunder win their fourth straight and improve to 27-11.
The Thunder made just 8 of 36 3-pointers.
“There was like, covers on the hoop in the first half," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I thought we did a great job of manufacturing a win there out of a night that we didn’t shoot particularly well.”
Paolo Banchero had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Orlando was missing Franz Wagner (right ankle sprain), Wendell Carter Jr . (right knee tendinitis), Markelle Fultz (left knee injury maintenance), Gary Harris (right calf strain) and Joe Ingles (left ankle injury maintenance).
It was the first regular-season matchup between the first two picks of the 2022 draft. Banchero, the No. 1 pick that year, was last season's Rookie of the Year. Holmgren was picked No. 2 overall in 2022 before sitting out last season with a foot injury. He has emerged as one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points in the first half to help the Thunder take a 49-40 lead at the break. No Orlando player scored more than six points in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball, then posted up on the other end and made a shot from an awkward angle while being fouled. He made the free throw to put the Thunder up 72-60.
Jalen Williams made a shot from just inside halfcourt at the end of the third quarter to put Oklahoma City up 86-73, and the Thunder led by at least six points the rest of the way.
“I love our guys’ fight,” Mosley said. “That’s one thing that I think is commonplace for us. That’s how we’re going to have to play. That’s how we give ourselves an opportunity by committee.”
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
MI Micic
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
CH C. Houstan
CO C. Okeke
GB G. Bitadze
JI J. Isaac
JS J. Suggs
MW M. Wagner
PB P. Banchero
TQ T. Queen
OKC/ORL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur