The Lead
All five Magic starters scored in double figures, including Cole Anthony who stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, five rebounds and 11 assists, but the Orlando Magic struggled to contain the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half in Wednesday’s 118-102 loss.
Key Stats
OKC’s bench outscored Orlando’s 52-26. Both teams made 17 3-pointers, but the Thunder shot eight percent better from deep. They also took 14 more free throws than the Magic.
Top Performers
The 11 assists for Anthony matched a career high. Chuma Okeke, starting in place of Wendell Carter Jr., led the Magic in scoring with 19 points, while Franz Wagner, who has played in all 74 of Orlando’s games this season, finished with 15 points in 22 minutes of action.
Injury Report
Carter Jr. (ankle, wrist), Markelle Fultz (left knee management), Jalen Suggs (right ankle), Jonathan Isaac (left knee) and Bol Bol (foot) were out for Orlando. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle), Derrick Favors (back), Ty Jerome (sports hernia), Mike Muscala (ankle), Kenrich Williams (knee), Josh Giddey (hip), Lu Dort (shoulder), and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (foot) were unavailable for OKC.
This Day in History
Tracy McGrady erupted for 37 points and Jacque Vaughn, who years later coached the Magic, and Gordan Giricek each scored 13 in Orlando’s victory in Miami on March 23, 2003. The Heat scored just 74 points, the fewest points allowed that season by the Magic.
Rivals Report
The Thunder had lost 10 straight going into Wednesday’s contest, but their future appears bright. Not only do they have a plethora of talented young players, including Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and former Florida Gator Tre Mann, OKC will be on the clock quite often over the next few drafts. In addition to their own first-round picks, the Thunder will have quite a few coming from other teams via the various trades they made the last few years. In the Paul George trade alone from 2019, they received five first-rounders from the Clippers, and will have the option to swap picks with them in two other years.
Quote of the Night
“I feel like I fit in well with any group that I play with, probably because we all practice together. That plays a part in it. And then it’s all about ball movement and having each other’s backs on the defensive end, picking each other up. That plays a part, too. We have to help each other out.” – Okeke
Up Next
The Magic get a couple days off before hosting the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. This will be the second game of a five-game road trip for the Kings, who pulled out a thrilling victory in Indiana on Wednesday night against the Pacers to snap a three-game losing streak. Rookie Davion Mitchell led Sacramento with 25 points, his second consecutive 25-plus-point performance, and Damian Jones tipped in a game-winning shot with two-tenths of a second left.