OKC Thunder Defeat Magic 102-86 in Defensive Affair

The Thunder's league-best defense forced Orlando into 35.4% shooting overall and 14.7% from downtown.

Nov 4, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA;Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) gestures after scoring a 3-point basket against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder moved to 7-0 with a 102-86 wire-to-wire home win against the Orlando Magic.

The Thunder won their seventh straight to open the season by at least 12 or more points, extending their NBA record. Their 86 points allowed is a new season low.

Jalen Williams scored 23 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including three 3-pointers, adding three steals and four rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 21 points, nine assists, six rebounds and a game-high +20 plus-minus, though he committed a season-high four turnovers.

Chet Holmgren recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. He did not return after checking out with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter. Magic center Goga Bitadze fouled and landed on his body on a drive to the basket, and the Thunder sophomore landed awkwardly on his back after a putback dunk.

Factor	Thunder	Magic
Points	102	86
eFG%	52.9%	38.4%
TOV	15	18
ORB	5	7
FT	12-for-16	23-for-27

Cason Wallace made his third start of the season, joining Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Williams and Luguentz Dort.

Without injured starters Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., the Magic started their fourth different group of the year: Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tristan da Silva, Franz Wagner and Bitadze.

Oklahoma City put together their best offensive quarter in the year to start the game, scoring 39 first-quarter points on 15-for-21 (71.4%) shooting. They made six 3-pointers on 10 attempts, with five different players draining at least one triple.

Williams scored 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the opening frame, with all six makes coming from different spots on the floor. His left-wing triple from a Gilgeous-Alexander feed — one of the All-Star's seven assists in the quarter — and layup gave the Thunder a quick 5-0 lead, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the night.

Thunder rookie Dillon Jones, brought in as the backup center with four minutes left in the quarter, pressured Magic forward Jonathan Isaac on an offensive rebound attempt and made a driving layup. Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso drained wide-open corner 3-pointers to give the team a 39-26 lead after 12 minutes.

A Williams triple ended a 1-for-11 Thunder stretch during the second quarter in which they committed three turnovers. Orlando took advantage with an 8-0 run to bring the game within 10 points, including six points from center Mo Wagner, but could not bring the margin any closer due to dreadful outside shooting — they shot 1-for-17 from deep in the first half despite several great looks.

Both teams combined for 14-for-46 shooting in the second frame, with all seven Magic field goals coming inside the restricted area. Oklahoma City did not record a make at the rim during the period until Williams found Holmgren for a wide-open dunk 33 seconds before halftime. The Thunder led 58-43 at the break.

Wallace tracked down Caldwell-Pope on a would-be wide-open transition layup, forcing a front-rim miss. He then knocked down a turnaround jumper to put Oklahoma City up by 17 points. Gilgeous-Alexander made two consecutive banked-in jumpers to break into double-digit scoring.

Isaiah Joe, who entered the night shooting 14-for-34 (41.2%) from downtown on the season, made three straight triples from the 2:19 to 1:15 stretch to extend the Thunder lead to 24 points. Oklahoma City led 84-58 after three quarters, forcing seven Magic turnovers and allowing 4-for-21 shooting in the period.

The Thunder will play their second road matchup against the Nuggets Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. CST. Oklahoma City is 1-0 in the season series, winning the season opener 102-87.

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