The OKC Thunder got back on track Tuesday with an important win hosting and facing the Orlando Magic for the second time in a week. The OKC Thunder were able to beat the Orlando Magic and get back on the winning side of things on Tuesday. Oklahoma City Thunder 132 Orlando Magic 122 The OKC Thunder found themselves in a dog fight in the first half. The team shot just 65 percent from the line which proved to be the difference in the tightly contested game to that point. From the floor, the OKC Thunder shot just 42 percent to go along with their 43 percent shooting stroke from beyond the arc. At one point OKC found themselves down ten in a first half that witnessed 11 lead changes. Russell Westbrook almost turned in a triple-double by the end of the first half producing 10 points seven assists and seven rebounds. Paul George went 1-for-7 in the first quarter but finished the half with 18 points on 38 percent shooting. Deonte Burton, everyone’s favorite two-way player, logged three first half minutes! In the first half, every Orlando Magic player who got into the game shot at least 50 percent or better from the floor. Outside of Isiah Briscoe who went 0-for-1. The Magic finished the game shooting 46.7 percent from the floor after carrying a 60 percent shooting percentage into the third quarter. Credit the OKC Thunder, who hung in this game, as they once found themselves down 12 in the second half, and extended a lead of their own to 14 points in the same half. The OKC Thunder gutted this win out, and that is not something that should have to be said about a win over the Magic.<doc-sep>It’s the final game for the Orlando Magic before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. So, as we are contractually and dramatically obligated to ask... Will someone play their final game as a member of the Magic tonight? ? No one seems to know the answer to that question. Potential trade activity for the Magic has been complicated by their ability to stay within arm’s reach of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, where a sub-.500 record could land a team in the postseason. Do the 22-31 Magic make a push for the postseason and try to bring in a point guard or shooter who will help them get there? Do they trade off free-agents-to-be like All-Star Nikola Vucevic and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Terrence Ross and take whatever they can get as they look to the future? Do they do nothing at all? Perhaps the outcome of the Magic’s game against the Thunder will help in some small way determine which direction the front office opts to go. The Magic, tied with the Wizards for 10th in the East, sit three games behind the eighth-seeded Heat, and still have to leapfrog the Pistons to get to them. Coming off wins over the Pacers and Nets, the Magic are seeking just their second three-game winning streak of the season (the first was in mid-November with wins over the Sixers, Lakers and Knicks). To do so, they’ll have to defeat a team that just had their lengthy winning streak snapped. The Thunder won seven consecutive games before falling to the Celtics, 134-129, on Sunday in Boston. The sixth win of that streak came in Orlando a week ago with the Thunder prevailing, 126-117, despite being without two starters (Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson, both of whom have since returned). OKC was powered by 31 first-half points from Paul George (37 total), a triple-double from Russell Westbrook, and 18 fourth quarter points from Dennis Schroder. The Magic erased a 15-point third quarter deficit to take the lead in the fourth, but were undone by silly fouls, a lack of ball movement and Schroder’s heroics. The Magic have gone 3-12 against the Thunder in their last 15 games, including 1-8 at Oklahoma City. The Thunder enter with the fourth best defensive rating in the league at 105.0 points per 100 possessions, and the 13th best offensive rating at 109.9 points per. Over their last 12 games, the Thunder have produced the league’s fourth best offensive rating in that span, averaging 117.3 points per. All-Star starter and MVP candidate Paul George has scored over 30 points in seven of his last eight games and is shooting just over 50 percent from three on 10.4 attempts per game in that stretch. In his last four games, highlighted by a 43-point performance against the Heat, Paul is averaging 38.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 51.0 percent from three. “There’s not a lot of weaknesses in [George’s] game, so he’s a tough cover,” Aaron Gordon told reporters. As if that wasn’t enough to handle, Westbrook will be seeking his seventh straight triple-double. Westbrook - shooting 41.8 percent from the field, which is the worst since his rookie year, and just 25 percent from three - is shooting 45.2 percent over his last seven games, including 35.3 percent from three. When Westbrook attacks the rim on Tuesday, he will be greeted at times by Khem Birch, who had a DNP when the Magic and Thunder last played. Birch, with Mo Bamba expected to miss his second straight game with a sore foot, will again serve as back-up center to Nikola Vucevic. After facing the Thunder, the Magic will next host the Minnesota Timberwolves just hours after the trade deadline has passed. Reports have suggested that the goal for the Magic organization seems to be to make the postseason and end the seven-year drought (even if that means sacrificing their lottery chance for a potential first-round sweep). Perhaps a win on the road over one of the league’s elite will convince the front office that the Magic should keep their assets and make a push for that eighth seed. Either way, whether to buy or sell, there will be phone calls to make over the next 48 hours.<doc-sep>Things the Magic lost on Tuesday: Mo Bamba (stress fracture in foot, out indefinitely) Another double-digit lead (up by 12 in the third) A game to the Thunder (132-122, season-high in points allowed) A chance at a three-game winning streak (has happened only once this season) A half-game in the playoff race (now 3.5 games behind the Heat for the eighth spot) The Magic kept pace with the Thunder early on as Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac accounted for more than half of the Magic offense in the first quarter. Gordon had 10 points and Isaac added eight, with both shooting 4-for-5 from the field, as Orlando moved the ball well and took a 32-31 lead after the first. A three by Terrence Ross with 7:25 remaining in the second capped a 10-2 Magic run that opened a 48-38 lead. Thanks in part to a three-point shooting barrage by Paul George, who last week against the Magic had 31 first-half points, the Thunder evened the score at 55. Orlando closed the quarter strong, shooting just under 60 percent in the half, to take a 69-62 lead into the break. The 69 points the Magic posted were a season-high for points in a half. Gordon led the way in the half with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds. Terrence Ross added 12 points off the bench and Evan Fournier had 11. Popcorn was the first food cooked in a microwave. Get your and watch @TFlight31. : @FOXSportsFL | #PureMagic pic.twitter.com/urcxlvlVuf — Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 6, 2019 The Magic led by 12 with 8:56 to go in the third before the Thunder went on a 13-2 run to cut the Magic lead to 81-80 with 6:13 remaining. OKC took a 90-89 lead on a three by Dennis Schroder with three minutes left and closed the third on a 13-3 run to carry a 98-92 lead into the fourth. Add it all up and the Thunder went on a 31-13 run in the quarter. Count it. @Yg_Trece has 6 three's on the night - midway through the 3rd quarter. pic.twitter.com/4c6eejO9nV — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 6, 2019 Nothing changed early in the fourth as the Thunder opened the quarter on a 13-4 run to build a 111-97 advantage. Fournier responded with a three to spark a 7-0 run that cut the Thunder lead to seven. The run reached 11-2 after Isaac blocked a three-point attempt by George and then hit a pair of free throws to make it 113-108 with 4:26 remaining. J N A T H A N I S A A C pic.twitter.com/E3i7Ad4DeQ — Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 6, 2019 That was as close as the Magic would get. George finishing with 39 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, for his eighth 30+ point performance in his last nine games. George, who scored 37 last week against the Magic, shot 9 of 26 from the field, 6 of 15 from three and 13 of 14 from the line. Russell Westbrook recorded his seventh consecutive triple-double with 16 points, 16 assists and 15 rebounds. It matched the longest triple-double streak of his career. Schroder, who torched the Magic last week in the fourth quarter, added 20 points. Jerami Grant had 19 points and 11 rebounds as seven players finished in double figures for the Thunder, who shot 50 percent from the field and connected on 13 of 30 three-point attempts (43.3 percent). Ross, whose name will no doubt come up in trade rumors on Wednesday, celebrated his 28th birthday with a team-high 26 points on 8 of 18 shooting, including 5-for-13 from three. Fournier had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Gordon had 18 points and a career-high 10 assists. Nikola Vucevic, who will compete in the Skills Competition at All-Star Weekend, had a well-rounded game with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Isaac added 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks. The Magic now sit 3.5 games out of the eighth playoff spot in the East. They next play on Thursday in Orlando against the Timberwolves. That game will be played just hours after the NBA trade deadline. We’ll soon find out if the roster will look any different next time they take the court.<doc-sep>As the Magic and the Thunder get set to wrap up the season series Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, Orlando is expected to be without two key players in the matchup. After the Thunder defeated the Magic 126-117 last Tuesday, the two teams will meet for the second time in a week as Mo Bamba and Jonathon Simmons are not expected to play for Orlando. Bamba did not travel with the Magic to Oklahoma City due to a sore lower left leg that may be a lingering issue suffered last month that cost the rookie four games for the team. While Bamba will not play, the Magic are also expected to be without Simmons due to an abdominal strain, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. Simmons has missed the past two games for the Magic and most recently played against the Thunder last Tuesday, recording five points, four rebounds and four assists. . @OrlandoMagic G Jonathon Simmons is still dealing with the effects of an oblique strain and is “doubtful” tonight against @okcthunder, head coach Steve Clifford said. Simmons got in a light workout after the team’s shootaround this morning. — John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 5, 2019 Both Bamba and Simmons played against the Thunder last week so the Magic will be a bit shorthanded in a rematch Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. While the Thunder saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Sunday against the Boston Celtics, the team will be 10-point favorites against Orlando Tuesday night. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT.<doc-sep>
Sometimes the game of basketball is simple. The story of a game can be as point blank as getting stops versus not getting stops. In the Thunder’s return home against the Orlando Magic, that narrative couldn’t have been more appropriate. After giving up 69 points in the first half, the Thunder defense amped up the pressure to allow 50 points in the second half (23 in the 3rd). Paul George scored 39 points and Russell Westbrook had his 7th straight triple-double as the Thunder defeated the Magic 132-122 on Tuesday night. The Magic had pushed their lead to 79-67 early in the 3rd quarter, and the Thunder had struggled up to this point to string together many stops. However, the Thunder started to force contested shots and get deflections. The defensive effort began to improve by the possession and the Thunder began chipping away at the lead. The stops allowed the Thunder to get out in transition and find their offensive groove. The Thunder went on a 31-12 run to close out the quarter and take the lead. OKC led 98-92 after three quarters. The Thunder pushed their lead to double-digits early in the 4th quarter. Dennis Schroder, much like the previous game against Orlando, carved up the Magic defense and poured in buckets. George found Patrick Patterson in transition for a three that pushed the Thunder lead to 111-97. OKC never looked back after building the big lead, despite a last effort from Orlando, they never cut the lead any lower than seven. OKC finished off the Magic for the home victory and a sweep of the season series. OKC shot 50% from the field and also shot 43% from the three (13-of-30). The Thunder won the rebound battle 49-40 and dominated points in the paint 58-38. The Magic shot over 50% from the field for the entire 1st half until the Thunder picked it up on defense in the 2nd half. OKC also forced 18 turnovers for the Magic. George led seven Thunder double-digit scorers with 39 points. Russ had his seventh straight triple double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists. Schroder scored 20 points off the bench. Jerami Grant put up a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Steven Adams, Terrance Ferguson, and Abdel Nader all were in double figures as well. Terrence Ross scored 26 points off the bench to lead the Magic. Evan Fournier scored 25 points. Aaron Gordon had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic put up 17 points. Next game: vs Grizzlies on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7PM CST