The Big Picture

After an impressive overtime victory against the Mavericks on Saturday where the Thunder rallied back from down 16 points, OKC yet again found itself down 15 points on Tuesday night against the Magic. 

It took a scrappy 14-2 run in the third quarter to turn the tides before a dominant fourth quarter effort sealed the victory. Sparked by the efforts on the defensive end and contributions from players like Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aleksej Pokuševski, the Thunder walked away from Paycom Center with a hard-earned 116-108 victory.

Observations

1st Quarter

Paris: Immediately after a free throw from Wendell Carter Jr., the Thunder inbounded the ball to Josh Giddey who fired the rock up the floor to a wide-open Lu Dort who sank a jumper on the other end before Orlando’s defense could do anything about it. Quick fire offense is the name of the game for the Thunder against Orlando. The Magic boast a lot of size at every position and offensively, the Thunder has combated their rim protection by getting to the rim before Orlando’s defense has a chance to catch up. 

Nick: Rookie Ousmane Dieng stepped right in off the bench and made a contribution on both ends of the floor. He was primed and ready to catch on offense and nailed his first three shots, including two catch-and-shoot three-pointers. On defense he played with physicality down low against Mo Bamba, then stepped in and tried to take a charge. Dieng’s scoring came completely within the flow of the Thunder’s offense, and his length was crucial on the defensive end against the Magic’s positional size. 

2nd Quarter

Paris: Orlando’s No. 1 Overall Pick Paolo Banchero has gotten off to a slow start offensively. Midway through the second quarter, the Magic’s leading scorer has been held to just two points on 1-for-4 from the field. Thunder defensive ace Lu Dort has held the primary assignment of defending the larger Banchero, but has made everything difficult for him throughout the half. By the time halftime rolled around, Banchero had seven points. 

Nick: When Darius Bazley fought over a screen and drew an offensive foul on Bamba, it was the 26th offensive foul the Thunder had drawn through just seven games this season. That number ranks in the top five in the NBA, and the Thunder’s average is top three in the league so far. By stepping in and taking charges as well as being physical at the point of attack, the Thunder has been able to generate a significant turnover advantage so far in the season (+5.2 per game) as well as _-_ for the game against the Magic.

3rd Quarter

Paris: Tre Mann attacked to the middle of the floor with less than a minute left on the game clock. As he rose up for a midrange jumper, he took a bump from Kevon Harris but the ball still sank through the rim. It was a momentum boosting play as the Thunder fought back from as many as 15 points down in the frame. Two possessions later, Jalen Suggs missed a 3-pointer which landed in the hands of Aleksej Pokuševski. Poku fired the ball ahead of the pack to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who dunked the ball and sent the Paycom Center crowd into a roar. The bucket capped off a strong 14-2 run to send the Thunder into the fourth quarter down just 88-85 after trailing by as many as 15 points. 

Nick: As the Thunder turned the momentum back in its favor in the final minutes of the third quarter, an unsung hero of the 14-2 OKC run was Aleksej Pokuševski, who racked up two points, five rebounds and a blocked shot to go with some helpful facilitating with screens and extra passes. Playing as the five man against a super-sized Orlando team, Pokuševski helped keep the floor moving and evened out the score in the third quarter 22-22 after OKC had fallen behind 20-8 over the first 7 minutes. Pokuševski finished the game with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. 

4th Quarter

Nick: Gilgeous-Alexander’s temp was sensational in the fourth quarter as the Thunder made an electric run inside Paycom Center. Whether he was attacking in transition, scoring after a sneaky poke-away or stopping and fading away at the elbow, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to get to his spots at will. He was also able to set up his teammates like he did for Pokuševski on a cutting layup to make it 109-106. A few possessions later Gilgeous-Alexander closed the door on the Thunder’s 15-point comeback with another stop and pop jumper, helping spur OKC’s 31-20 fourth-quarter advantage. 

Paris: As Franz Wagner rose up for a midrange jumper, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander met him at the top of his shot and erased the look. On the other end, SGA drew a foul that sent him to the free throw line for two shots. On the very next possession, Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball from Wagner at the top of the key and finished off the play with a dunk in transition. The pair of plays forced Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley to call a timeout to rally the troops. SGA’s defensive impact played a major key in this game and by the end of the night, the point guard finished with three steals and two blocks to go along with his game-high 34 points.