Thunder ignites early, dominating Orlando from the tip-off. A decisive team performance fuels their soaring 40-11 record.
With a 128-92 win over the Orlando Magic, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially looked like a team that is back on track. This came directly after an emphatic, convincing win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night, as the Thunder turned around and defeated a competitive Magic team in a game that was over pretty early.
The Thunder built a significant lead in the first quarter, and it was the second straight game in which the Thunder came out hot and as the aggressor. That had been a real problem of late, as the Thunder found itself in holes early in games it had to climb out of. And when this team brings the intensity and the effort early, games are over very quickly. And that was exactly the case tonight, given the Thunder jumped out to a 39-14 first quarter lead.
This was the Thunder's 40th win of the season as OKC moves on to 40-11. And it was a team effort. In fact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander only had 12 points midway through the third quarter as the game started to get out of reach. And he went on a little hot streak of his own to really put the game away and get up to 20 points on the night. He had 10 points in the first quarter, followed by just two in the second quarter, and then eight in the third before his night was officially over.
Isaiah Hartenstein had a great game, a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Isaiah Joe poured in 22 points on 5-of-8 from the three-point line. Chet Holmgren had a solid 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Lu Dort had 18 points of his own. It was truly a dominant team effort.
The Thunder won the rebounding battle, generated more assists, shot better from the floor and the three-point line, forced more turnovers, points off those turnovers, second-chance points, and fast-break points. The Thunder never trailed in this game and earned an emphatic victory.
From here, this schedule isn't getting any easier, as the Thunder will immediately fly to San Antonio to face the Spurs tomorrow night. It will be a highly anticipated matchup against the team that's had the Thunder's number this season.