Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic (14-24) defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (16-22) on Wednesday night at the Amway Center after a few days off.
Orlando, with key players Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Admiral Schofield out due to suspension, had 8 players in double figures, lead by rookie
Paolo Banchero with 25 points, and Wendell Carter Jr’s double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds wow key.
All five Orlando starters scored in double figures and the Magic bench of Terrance Ross, RJ Hampton, and Mo Bamba provided solid support.
At one point in the game, The Magic had a 22 point lead.
Orlando returned to the floor after a nice break, and much needed. Orlando last took the floor while serving the first part of a NBA. sanctioned suspension for 11 players, the first of which was on December 30th, in a game against the Washington Wizards. Orlando Only had 8 players available and were in the midst of a 3-game slump.
Orlando burst out with Carter Jr in better shape, and with a determination to break out of this slump.
The Thunder were lead in scoring by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 33 points, and managed 40% shooting, and only 9 turnovers, leading to only 6 magic points.
Orlando managed 50% shooting, overcoming 17 turnovers leading to 20 OKC points.
The Magic dominated inside with 48 points ts in the paint and 13 second chance points compared to only 7 second chance points for OKC.
A gib complaint during their recent slump was a lack of energy. In this redemption game, Orlando played with fire, like they had something to prove.
Orlando also had the good news that Forward Jonathan Isaac and Guard Jalen Suggs participated in full practice this week. Their roster is close to becoming complete with most of it’s main components.
Our guys were great. The ability to share the basketball.” Said Head Coach Jamal Mosely. ” The reset was big for us. We talked about the things that we wanted to get done. Sharing in the paint. sharing the basketball. we anted to have 26 assists. Obviously we need to work on taking better care of the ball, but our ability to share the ball is something that we continue to work on and continue to improve.”
Orlando plays the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday Night at the Amway Center before heading out on a western road trip.
