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- How to Listen: 96.9 The Game FM (Orlando), WWLS 98.1 FM (Oklahoma City), NBA Audio League Pass, SiriusXM Channel 212 (Magic)
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- Tickets: $20-$332+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Thunder 102, Magic 86 in Oklahoma City on Nov. 4; Tonight in Orlando
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic: Stats and 3 Keys to watch
Oklahoma City | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
100.3 | Pace | 97.5 |
115.2 | Off. Rtg. | 110.0 |
103.1 | Def. Rtg. | 106.1 |
54.0 | eFG% | 51.8 |
27.4 | O.Reb.% | 30.4 |
11.8 | TO% | 15.4 |
21.2 | FTR | 27.7 |
3. The Shooting Problem
The Oklahoma City Thunder are probably happy that Tuesday's NBA Cup Final against the Milwaukee Bucks does not count against their stats for the regular season. Ultimately that is probably why they lost the Cup.
The Thunder shot 5 for 32 from three, giving up a 36-point difference on threes. It is simply difficult to make up that gap and deficit in the modern NBA. The Orlando Magic know how difficult that is.
Oklahoma City is a better 3-point shooting team than that. But not much better.
The Thunder are 19th in the league in 3-point shooting at 35.1 percent. Like the Magic, they are a low-percentage and high-volume shooting team.
Orlando, of course, is last in the league in percentage at 30.8 percent on 37.8 attempts per game. The Magic are not going to stop shooting. But their ability to keep up and break a feisty Thunder defense will be on their ability to hit shots.
2. The Turnover Problem
The real secret to the Orlando Magic competing in this game against the Oklahoma City Thunder will come down to the mistakes the Magic make. Goga Bitadze said it well after practice Wednesday, if Orlando plays its game, the team is tough to beat. And limiting their own mistakes.
Orlando is 21st in the league with a 15.4 percent turnover rate. Those are a lot of possessions the Magic give away. And they cannot afford to do that. The Thunder lead the league forcing a 19.0 percent turnover rate and scoring a league-high 22.7 points off turnovers per game.
The Magic can at least answer with the second best opponent turnover rate in the league. They will force their share of turnovers.
But Orlando cannot afford to give away possessions with the small margin of error. And playing this Thunder team that gets after teams defensively, limiting those mistakes are critical.
1. The Magic on national TV
The Orlando Magic entered the season with five games scheduled for national TV. The majority of them were front-loaded on the schedule. This will be game number three on national TV (with a fourth added for the NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Milwaukee Bucks).
Goga Bitadze said after practice Wednesday that the team does not care about being on national TV. You hope that the team does not treat the game any differently. But everyone knows they are on TNT for this one. It is impossible not to know.
And while the Magic looked good in their defeat to the Bucks last week, the Magic have not fared well on national TV of late. They lost in blowouts to the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year. They lost their lone national TV game against the Thunder last year.
Orlando has not won a regular season game that aired on ESPN or TNT since the regular season finale to the 2019 season when the Magic defeated the Charlotte Hornets to clinch the 7-seed. They have not won a regular season game on TNT since Dwight Howard was on the team.
Orlando is still looking to establish itself among the best teams in the league. The team is going to make national TV appearances feel normal. Until then, this is a special thing and the Magic must find a way to win.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report
- Chet Holmgren - OUT (Right Iliac Wing Fracture)
- Jaylin Williams - OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
- Nikola Topic - OUT (Left Knee Surgery)
- Alex Ducas - OUT (Two-Way)
- Adam Flagler - OUT (Two-Way)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Paolo Banchero - OUT (Torn Right Oblique)
- Franz Wagner - OUT (Torn Right Oblique)
- Gary Harris - QUESTIONABLE (Left Hamstring Strain)
- Mac McClung - OUT (Two-Way)
Projected Lineups
Oklahoma City | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | PG | Jalen Suggs |
Isaiah Joe | SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
Isaiah Hartenstein | C | Goga Bitadze |
Jalen Williams | PF | Wendell Carter |
Luguentz Dort | SF | Tristan da Silva |
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic: Prediction
Our Record: 19-9/10-18 ATS
The Oklahoma City Thunder are as tough a team as there is in the league. The Orlando Magic often get compared to the Oklahoma City Thunder for their youth, patient construction and focus on defense. Being called the "Thunder of the East" is a compliment. These teams mirror each other.
But the Thunder are the established team. They have a stronger offensive core with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blossoming into an All-Star already. And they come at you in waves defensively.
The question in this game will be how the Thunder respond to Tuesday's loss. They will come out fired up on defense. But they have to dig deep and find some energy. They have been in Las Vegas since Friday for the two NBA Cup games and then flew immediately to Orlando. That is tough travel.
That may make the Thunder a step slow. And it could put the Magic in a spot to take advantage. Orlando does not want to lose two straight games at Kia Center. The Orlando Magic had a lot to chew on after their loss to the New York Knicks.
The conditions are set for the Magic to win this one. It is at least there for the taking.