NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder rally past Magic
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Aaron Wiggins #21 and Tre Mann #23 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate during a timeout in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Paycom Center on October 25, 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ian Maule/Getty Images/AFP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-108 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The Thunder have won four consecutive games.
Article continues after this advertisementIn Oklahoma City’s win over Dallas on Saturday, the Thunder closed regulation with an 18-2 run to force overtime, where they took control.
Against the Magic, Oklahoma City once again finished strong.
The Thunder closed with a 23-4 run, with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 11 points in the stretch to lift Oklahoma City from 11 down.
Article continues after this advertisementGilgeous-Alexander (12 for 18 from the field) gave the Thunder the lead for good with a step-back jumper with less than four minutes remaining.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is HOOPING this season
Tonight: 34 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK
He's 6th in the NBA with 31.5 points per game. pic.twitter.com/NlFBgpair5
— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2022
After Wendell Carter Jr.’s 3-pointer with 7:26 left put the Magic up 104-93, Orlando didn’t make a field goal. The Magic missed their last 11 shots.
Orlando had a season-high 24 turnovers, leading to 30 Thunder points.
Pokusevski added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Carter tied a career-high with 30 points to lead the Magic, adding 12 rebounds. Franz Wagner posted 20 points and seven assists, Bol Bol totaled 13 points and 12 rebounds and Paolo Banchero finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Magic led by 15 with less than five minutes remaining in the third, before the Thunder ripped off a quick 12-2 run to pull to within three entering the fourth.
Oklahoma City made six of its last nine shots in the quarter, including three buckets from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
The Thunder cut the deficit to one early in the fourth before Orlando turned things around and stretched the lead back to 11 five minutes into the fourth.
Both teams had key players return from ankle injuries.
The Magic’s Jalen Suggs returned after missing five games, going 3 of 14 from the floor in nearly 28-plus minutes off the bench. Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey had missed three games and finished with 10 assists but was just 3 of 12 from the floor in 25 minutes.
Orlando’s Terrence Ross played less than four minutes before leaving with a knee injury.
