Picking up Anthony Black's lost basketball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander zipped it down the court and found Aaron Wiggins for the easy transition dunk. The defense-to-offense sequence was the exclamation mark. Orlando put a scare in OKC without its top three players but ran out of juice.
The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a stressful 105-99 win over the Orlando Magic. The victory is fresh off the heels of an impractical travel schedule for the former that involved flying over three time zones thanks to the NBA Cup final.
Early on, it appeared the Thunder would gain some rest in this Florida back-to-back. They held a 29-28 lead after the first quarter. A 36-point second frame saw OKC enter halftime with a 65-46 advantage.
Orlando's lack of scorers was painfully obvious. Jalen Suggs suffered an ankle injury that cost him most of the second half. With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner already out with torn obliques, points would be tough to produce.
The Thunder came out of the break with a hot hand. Isaiah Hartenstein caught an alley-oop and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket for the layup. Suddenly, OKC had a 23-point lead. If held, the massive lead could've let its starter rest the final quarter.
Instead, the Thunder were caught daydreaming. The Magic scored 17 straight points. OKC's offense panicked and settled for contest jumpers that didn't fall through. The Thunder's lead was cut to 82-74 after three quarters.
Anthony Black then had one of his best offensive stretches. He drove to the basket and feathered in his floaters. He cut OKC's lead to four points in the opening two minutes of the final frame. OKC was on the cusp of disaster with a blown 23-point lead.
It was deja vu from Vegas. The Thunder offense couldn't muster up points. Nobody outside of Gilgeous-Alexader had it going. Jalen Williams struggled once again. The old saying goes, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' but OKC's offensive woes traveled.
Thankfully for the Thunder, those worries were quickly put to rest. Williams snapped out of it and demanded the ball. He dared the Magic to stop him and they lost both bets. Isaiah Joe splashed a much-needed 3-pointer and Lu Dort sliced through Orlando's defense to push OKC's lead back to 10 points with seven minutes left.
Despite Orlando's best efforts, it simply had no scorers left. Black went cold and the Thunder had a 14-point lead with under five minutes left after Gilgeous-Alexander dished it out to Wiggins for the easy slam. The Magic made a little run at the end but had no time to make it interesting.
The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 10-of-31 (32.3%) from 3. They went 15-of-16 from the free-throw line. They had 22 assists on 40 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 35 points. Hartenstein had a 12-point double-double. Williams had just 11 points but scored important buckets down the stretch. Wiggins and Alex Caruso scored 11 points respectively.
Meanwhile, the Magic shot 45% from the field and went 11-of-35 (31.4%) from 3. They went 18-of-25 from the free-throw line. They had 26 assists on 35 baskets. Six Magic players scored double-digit points.
Black led the way with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Goga Bitadze contributed with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Suggs was limited to nine points, five rebounds and four assists before he missed most of the second half with an ankle injury.
It wasn't the prettiest, but a gutsy win for the Thunder. Considering the Las Vegas hangover and the Magic's absences, this had scheduled loss written all over it, but OKC left with a win. That's what championship contenders do.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
After experimenting from the outside, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to his vintage playstyle of within the perimeter. To nobody's surprise, it led to an efficient high-scoring outing.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points on 15-of-26 shooting, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. He shot 1-of-5 from 3 and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The MVP candidate must've heard the criticisms of his quick willingness to settle for jumpers against the Bucks in the NBA Cup finals. The first half was filled with retro non-stop drives to the basket. It led to 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting. That marked a season-high for points in a half for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Then the second half saw Gilgeous-Alexander take his foot off the gas pedal. Playing with a large lead, he returned to taking more 3-pointers. That resulted in a lackluster 11-point second half. Turning that switch off almost caused OKC to blow the massive lead.
Even though the NBA Cup finals didn't count, this was a nice bounce-back from Gilgeous-Alexander's worst game this season. He's one of the most efficient scorers in the league by pressuring the rim. He flexed that in a dominant first half.
Before Gilgeous-Alexander or Williams can even diagnose the defense, Hartenstein is already coming down to set a screen more often than not. The seven-footer's chemistry with OKC's primary ball-handlers is as evident as the game's first play.
It was another double-double for Hartenstein. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
It was a battle beneath the basket between Hartenstein and Bitadze. Interestingly enough, both historical backup centers have been propelled up the depth chart because of injuries. They've excelled in their new roles with their respective squads.
Hartenstein continues to be a weapon for the Thunder. He was part of OKC's bench lineup that pushed its lead back to double digits with Gilgeous-Alexander resting to start the fourth quarter.
As soon as the "Superman" trailer dropped, it was prophesied that Wiggins would have a monster performance against the Magic. He sealed the result with his dagger dunk in the final five minutes. He twisted the knife with a corner 3-pointer later on.
Wiggins finished with 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting, two rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes off the bench. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. He was a game-high plus-15.
After totaling 25 minutes in three NBA Cup knockout games, Wiggins' lack of playing time puzzled the fanbase. That was especially the case after they scored a putrid 81 points in their NBA Cup finals loss to the Bucks. It made little sense to avoid playing one of the team's best 3-point shooters more during that game. It looks like Daigneault listened to those concerns with a season-high in minutes.
Good things happen on the court when Wiggins is on it. He should receive consistent playing time. That's plagued him during his four years on the Thunder, despite getting a new contract extension.
Spinning between two Orlando defenders, Williams had the acrobatic finish through contact. An insincere "and-one!" yell could be heard through the broadcast. Next possession, he lifted off for the loud one-handed jam. A lack of calls has been the 23-year-old's nemesis this year and that continued.
Williams finished with 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting and seven assists. He shot 1-of-5 from 3. He drew zero free-throw attempts despite living inside the paint.
Frustrated with the noncalls, Williams took matters into his own hands in the fourth quarter. As the Magic threatened a comeback, he scored six points and created a 10-point lead when Gilgeous-Alexander checked into the game. That provided enough cushion for the MVP candidate to put this one away.
Williams has been in an offensive funk recently. The Thunder's offense has suffered because of it. They need their second go-to scorer to put up All-Star-esque numbers to be one of the league's best teams. Getting a fairer whistle could be the solution but that continues to be his white whale.