Pressing Jalen Suggs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cleanly poked the ball out of his possession. Initially called a foul, a coach’s challenge flipped it to a game-sealing turnover. On top of a 40-burger, the reigning MVP flexed his two-way abilities in another close one.
The Oklahoma City Thunder survived another thriller in a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic. They’ve won nine in a row and have gotten hot at the right time. They became the first team to punch their ticket for the NBA playoffs.
To start things, both teams were in the mud on offense. Gilgeous-Alexander eventually got his squad out of it. The Thunder had a 26-22 lead after the first quarter. Leaning into an all-offense lineup, OKC blitzed Orlando on the scoreboard with a 19-5 run to open the second frame.
Isaiah Hartenstein had his fun with the spacing he had. Isaiah Joe and Jared McCain completely opened the floor for their teammates. Like drinking a Dutch Bro’s 911 drink, it was quite the adrenaline rush that saw the Thunder open up a 45-27 lead with a little over six minutes left in the second frame.
The good vibes quickly melted away, though. Before halftime even arrived. The Magic finished the first half on a 23-6 run. That kinda canceled out all of the goodwill the Thunder built up. The latter had 25 points in the second quarter. They entered halftime with a slight 51-50 lead. Pretty frustrating, all things considered.
The break didn’t help the Thunder. Paolo Banchero took over the game. He looked like the bonafide 2022 No. 1 pick. He bullied his way to the basket and went with the spin layup to put OKC in a 67-62 deficit just five minutes into the second half. Just some bad basketball.
At that point, Gilgeous-Alexander had enough. He wouldn’t allow the Thunder to fall behind by more. It was his turn to take over as he scored a season-high 19 points in the third frame. They had 34 points in the quarter to salvage a slow start. That put them ahead 85-79 with a dozen minutes to go.
The start of the fourth quarter was pretty bad for the Thunder. They were on the wrong side of an 11-4 run. Desmond Bane knocked down an outside jumper to put OKC in a 90-89 hole with eight minutes to go. After a timeout, they scored eight consecutive points.
Standing on the ‘Kia Center’ logo, Isaiah Joe swished in a deep outside jumper. Suddenly, the Thunder had a 97-90 lead with six minutes left. Talk about a response. Good job by OKC’s bench lineup to give Gilgeous-Alexander some wiggle room to close things out.
Getting a one-on-one look with Banchero, Gilgeous-Alexander went with his signature stepback 3-pointer. He then swished in a pair of free-throw attempts. Alex Caruso came up huge with a steal-and-score sequence. Before the Magic could even register what happened, the Thunder had a 106-96 lead with a little over two minutes left.
The Thunder kept their distance the rest of the way. Gilgeous-Alexander crossed the 40-point mark. They had 28 points in the final frame to come away with the wild, rollercoaster win.
The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 9-of-29 (31%) from 3. They shot 24-of-27 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 40 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 40 points and five rebounds. Chet Holmgren had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell finished with 16 points and three assists.
Meanwhile, the Magic shot 40% from the field and went 17-of-50 (34%) from 3. They shot 17-of-20 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 37 baskets. Six Magic players scored double-digit points.
Banchero led the way with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Bane had 16 points and three rebounds. Jalen Suggs tallied 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Tristan da Silva had 13 points and four rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. and Jevon Carter each scored 11 points apiece.
All the Thunder do now is play competitive games. Gilgeous-Alexander carried his squad across the finish line. They had the chance to put this away in the first half, but instead allowed the Magic to get into a rhythm. Not the best game script, but you can’t complain too much about a road win over one of the league’s hottest teams in recent weeks.
The Thunder continue to be on a roll. Gilgeous-Alexander is putting the final touches on his probable back-to-back MVP awards. When everybody else had an off-night, he read the room and put on his Superman cape to help OKC keep up in the first-seed race. Orlando had its chances but couldn’t see Banchero keep up in a battle of NBA superstars.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
Staring down Banchero, Gilgeous-Alexander put him on an island. He bumped him away from a driving lane. Bad decision. The reigning MVP recalculated. He went with his signature stepback 3-pointer that drilled in. With three minutes to go, the outside jumper got him into closer mode.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 9-of-11 on free throws. He also had four steals.
At this point, the real question is by how many votes Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP by. And if he can become the second unanimous winner ever. Another 40-point explosion should surely help his case to make additional NBA history with that ambition. After trolling in the first half, the 27-year-old locked in to ensure OKC keeps its winning ways.
Gilgeous-Alexander only had 12 points on 12 shot attempts in the first half. Not the type of superb efficiency we’re used to seeing from him. After his teammates opened up an 18-point lead, the Magic were able to get back into it thanks to his disastrous start.
Entering halftime with a one-point lead, Gilgeous-Alexander owed OKC some buckets. He lived up to his end of the bargain in the second half. He had 19 points in the third quarter alone. The 30-point scorer was as surgical as ever. He sliced through Orlando’s defense on the way to the rim. When that didn’t happen, he pulled up from the mid-range at his favorite spots.
Gilgeous-Alexander even knocked down a couple of outside jumpers. He snatched the Magic’s chain as they grew more confident. The reigning MVP refused to be responsible for dropping this gimme game. In the fourth quarter, he added to his special outing with nine points. He put this one away at every level of the floor — from the perimeter to the free-throw line.
A 28-point second half salvaged this for Gilgeous-Alexander. He was back to being a walking 30 points. The reigning MVP did it in the mid-range and around the rim. When those shots didn’t fall, he went to the free-throw line and kept Orlando honest from beyond the arc. Just a vintage performance by one of the greatest scorers ever.
This is just what MVPs do. Gilgeous-Alexander rewrote the fate of this game as it felt like the Thunder were on the cusp of a frustrating loss. Instead, he demanded the ball and put the Magic away. It’s been a wild couple of weeks. The 27-year-old has slammed the door and locked it up for the MVP race.
Chet Holmgren: A
Leaking out ahead, Holmgren caught Gilgeous-Alexander’s four-vertical pass. He leaned into da Silva’s honest contest to draw the and-one layup. Putting the Thunder ahead by double-digit points with 15 seconds left, the 23-year-old penned the final words.
Holmgren finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 12 rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws. He also had one block.
Running with the flow, Holmgren was served plenty of his buckets. You take those easy looks as he was gifted several easy dunks and cutting layups. The seven-footer was one of the beneficiaries of OKC’s space-out lineup that featured guys like Joe and McCain. He had 12 points in the first half.
Always love to see Holmgren be aggressive as a scorer. He was second in shot attempts. Which should be the case on most nights — at least as long as Jalen Williams is out. None felt forced, either. This is the best version of the 23-year-old as a scorer.
Elsewhere, Holmgren helped on the boards. He’s really upticked his production in that area. The Thunder badly needed his size against a hefty Orlando frontcourt. The defense remains one-of-one. The Magic only shot 47% inside the paint. Bad numbers in context. Banchero tried his best, but nobody else had scoring juice.
Despite not having the flashy box-score stats like Banchero, you saw why the Thunder are perfectly happy with Holmgren. He might not possess a dynamic one-on-one scoring game, but he’s one of the best in other areas of basketball. Especially anchoring the league-best defense.
Ajay Mitchell: B
Getting Bane, Mitchell bumped and bruised his way to the rim. Despite the Orlando defender on his grill, he flung up an and-one floater that rainbowed in. The fourth-quarter bucket showcased the type of special shot-creation that has graduated him up the ladder.
Mitchell finished with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, three assists and two rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 5-of-5 on free throws.
It was another start for Mitchell. That’s three in a row. The Thunder are giving him a crash course with a month to get ready for the NBA playoffs. So far, in this sample size, you gotta love the results. He’s played smoothly alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder have welcomed his ability to get his own buckets.
Playing a brutal style of basketball, Mitchell fought through contact to get to the rim. The drive-heavy scorer flexed his finesse around the rim. Paired with his motor, that’s the perfect combination to be a double-digit scorer at your lowest on most nights.
Mitchell had seven points in the fourth quarter. He helped run the second-unit offense alongside Hartenstein. The Magic couldn’t stop him when he went downhill. A busy night at the free-throw line exemplifies that. After being out for two months, the bucket-getter has changed how OKC has played when Gilgeous-Alexander is off the floor.
Alex Caruso: B
Playing wolf after Carter Jr.’s screen knocked Caruso off course, Banchero had the ball punched out of his pocket. The 32-year-old recorded the high-leverage steal as he was rewarded with an easy transition layup. The steal-and-score sequence forced a timeout.
Caruso finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting, eight rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-1 from 3. He also had two steals.
Not the prettiest box score, but a plus-19 in 24 minutes is all you need to see. Caruso was everywhere on the floor — in a good way. With the playoffs around the corner, he’s started to ramp up and string together some of his best games. Playing a bunch of close games recently has only helped him get the blood flowing.
You may say Caruso might be too amped up. In a possession that went viral, Caruso blew a tire. He had a shoe in his hand. Deciding on the fly, he swatted the ball away from da Silva’s drive attempt. While the shoe-on-ball stop was funny and made the rounds on social media, the Magic role player received the bucket and the two-time NBA champion was handed a comedic technical foul.
Guess we all learn something new — even if you’ve been in the league for a while. Funny moment aside, Caruso helped the Thunder get another close win. When push comes to shove, they’ve had the bench player be part of OKC’s closing lineup. This was the latest example.
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