No Bol, No Problem! Orlando Magic Cruise to 126-115 Victory Over OKC

ORLANDO, FL. (FNN) — With the Orlando Magic still suffering from a suspension plagued roster, they pulled out ahead against a resilient Thunder team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander managed to cause headaches with a 33 point performance. But ultimately, it was Banchero’s leadership and helpful bench scoring that put this game beyond reach. The Magic improve to 14-24 for the season as they host the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at Amway Center.

Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder traded barbs early in the paint as Banchero fell into some foul trouble. Both teams utilizing traditionally smaller lineups given the injuries to key big-men on either side. SGA returned to the fold for OKC in this outing against Orlando. He struggled from the field but made up for it with five made free throws in the first quarter alone.

Beasting on the boards

As the second quarter unfolded the three ball started to land with frequency for Orlando. RJ Hampton put up a triple. Shortly after Terrence Ross coupled that with two made threes of his own. In a game of basketball between two young teams like this, the more consistent club will generally pull out ahead. Orlando Magic ended the first half strong with 36 points in the paint. Their bench also participated heavily with a whopping 30 points boosting their lead as secondaries came on.

Despite OKC coming into their shooting flow in the 3rd quarter, Orlando made up too much ground and held a dominant 15+ point cushion. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his way on offense for a majority of the game, but much of it was conciliatory as virtually no one else on OKC could match his offensive output. However, with the 3rd quarter winding down, OKC started to pick up a huge amount of steam. Players like Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams were able to fill up the stat sheet with efficient scoring.

In the end, it was a total team win tonight from Orlando Magic as eight players made double digits in scoring tonight. First round pick Paulo Banchero continues to pave the way for this young Magic team. He ended the night with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in another almost triple-double night for the playmaking prodigy. Orlando punished the undersize Thunder as they dominated the boards, grabbing 16 more (49 total) than OKC over the game. When asked about Banchero’s growth, Head Coach Jamahl Mosley had glowing words for December’s ROTM:

“He’s moving in that direction [perennial all-star]. This is a special young man. The great part about him is his ability to trust his teammates, to find the open man, to want to make the right play. Anytime he’s out there he is looking to create and make for his team and make winning plays.”

— Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley on Paulo Banchero