Meet the Opponent: West-Leading Thunder Tangle with Magic; Keys to Game

The Oklahoma City Thunder, off to a West-best 20-5 start, are looking to shake a poor performance in the NBA Cup final. Will the Orlando Magic have the firepower to keep up with OKC?

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Kia Center Thursday night for the second and final matchup of their season series. Tipoff is 7 p.m.

The Magic, 17-11 and fourth in the East, will get the West-leading Thunder less than 48 hours after OKC fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup final.

Oklahoma City, 20-5, beat the Magic 98-86 earlier this year.

About the Thunder

Leading Scorers

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 30.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 51.0 FG%, 34.0 3PT%
• Jalen Williams: 21.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 50.0 FG%, 38.5 3PT%
• Isaiah Hartenstein: 12.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 57.9 FG%
• Lugentz Dort: 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 41.1 FG%, 40.3 3PT%

Injury News

• Chet Holmgren: OUT (right iliac wing fracture)
• Nikola Topic: OUT (left knee surgery)
• Jaylin Williams: OUT (right hamstring strain)

Notable Numbers

• 1st in net rating (# 8 offense, #1 defense)
• 10th-most points per game (115.6)
• 15th in eFG% (54.0), 1st in opponent eFG% (49.8)
• 1st in TOV% (11.8), 1st in opponent TOV% (19.0)
• 1st in point differential (12.1)

Keys to the Game

Limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley was effusive with his praise Thursday morning for the Thunder All-Star. When asked what challenge Gilgeous-Alexander presents and what he's seen on film, the answer was: "An MVP candidate."

SGA can stop and score at all three levels, playing at an off-tempo pace that makes the 26-year-old guard one of the toughest to contain.

"Guys that have that quality make it difficult to have one specific game plan for them," Mosley said. "They can manipulate your defense. He also plays defense, being able to get steals. But then, offensively, his ability to get you in foul trouble [and] understand how he can manipulate the pick-and-roll, where guys are on the floor and get his guys involved, understand how he can break you down. Guys like that, you have to put different matchups, lineups [and] coverages in front of him just to keep him off-balance as much as you can. Because he's a smart, high-IQ basketball player that has a great rhythm and feel for the game."

Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's third-leading scorer (30.3), trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. He attempts the fifth-most free throws per game (8.2) and makes 86.4 percent. His 35.0% usage rate is in the 95th percentile of the league (Cleaning the Glass).

Solve OKC's top-ranked defense

OKC, like Orlando, is another youthful team that leads with its defense.

The Thunder average an NBA-best 12.2 steals a game, force the highest percentage of turnovers, and hold opponents to an eFG% under 50 percent — another league-best mark.

"I think they're handsy," Mosley said when asked what impresses him about the Thunder defense. "They do a great job of being physical without fouling, they get their hands on the basketball a ton. They make you speed up more than you want to. I think because of their switching, a lot of teams think that you can get the switch and then just punish it right away. But they're coming and swarming the basketball, swiping at the basketball, so you never have a clean rhythm for actually trying to expose the mismatch. You have to make quick decisions and quick reads as fast as you can."

"They have many versatile defenders," guard Gary Harris said Thursday. "They switch 1 through 5, they're physical [and] they take pride on the defensive end.

"As a defensive team, you respect other defensive teams, you know, what they bring, We know what we bring, so it's gonna be a physical game."

Orlando's offense is fringe bottom-5 in offensive rating this season, scores the fifth-fewest points a game, and is the league's worst three-point shooting team by percentage (30.8) this season. The Magic's best bet is to slow the contest to their 27th-ranked pace and find some shotmaking that is uncharacteristic of this year's team.

National Spotlight

TNT is broadcasting Thursday's contest. The Magic is 0-3 so far on national TV, but this is the first one they'll get at home (Orlando is 10-1 at the Kia Center this season.)

The Magic, who are playing without stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, earned a lot of shine following their last national TV showing, a hard-fought loss to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• HARRIS 'GETTING CLOSER' TO RETURN: Despite being slated to miss Thursday's game versus OKC, Gary Harris shared a positive update ahead on how he's recovering from a left hamstring strain. CLICK HERE
• PAOLO NOT YET TAKING CONTACT: Coach Jamahl Mosley provided updates on Paolo Banchero's status at the team's Thursday shootaround prior to the team's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC FAST-TRACK da SILVA'S PROCESS: Reflecting on the first third of his rookie season, Tristan da Silva is thankful for the opportunity and trust to "figure it out on the fly." CLICK HERE
• CORY JOSEPH TAKES PRIDE IN BEING A VET: Cory Joseph is a steadying voice in a youthful locker room. But he's not done learning lessons, either. CLICK HERE
• MENTAL TOUGHNESS REQUIRED OF MAGIC: The Magic lost their home unbeaten streak Sunday night as frustration mounted. That mindset, they said, has to change. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC PLAYERS WHO CAN & CAN'T BE TRADED: Trade season opened on Sunday as many players who signed contracts this offseason became eligible to be dealt. Here's an overview of who can and cannot be traded for the Magic this year. CLICK HERE
• ORLANDO'S 'INVALUABLE' HOMESTAND: Orlando finally has time off and can settle in at home. Here's why coach Jamahl Mosley said that's 'invaluable' for this Magic team. CLICK HERE
• NBA TAKING NOTICE OF MAGIC'S RESOLVE: Down their two best players, the Magic are still turning heads with their impressive play nearly a third of the way into the NBA season. CLICK HERE
• NEXT MAN UP MENTALITY FACES TOUGHEST TEST YET: Orlando is navigating a new normal without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the fold because of torn obliques. Now, the "real version" of their next-man-up mantra faces its toughest test. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times, and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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