Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP-Caliber Night Enough to Hold Off Orlando Magic

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Coming off a 62-point victory on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder had all of the momentum heading into tonight's duel with the Orlando Magic.

An injury-riddled Magic team came closer to defeating the Thunder than many might've imagined, but it was still able to hold off Paolo Banchero and company to gain its fourth straight win, 112-100.

Even though Oklahoma City shot just 22.2% from the 3-point line, it found ways to win outside of it. That included the free-throw line, where it converted 18-of-21 attempts.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander notched another MVP-caliber performance, recording 37 points, seven assists and three steals on 13-of-20 shooting. "MVP" chants flodded Paycom Center all night, especially after his several completed and-ones. 

The battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2022 NBA Draft — Chet Holmgren and Banchero — resulted in a fairly even matchup. Holmgren recorded 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-14 shooting, while Banchero dropped a near triple-double of 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on an underwhelming 8-of-19 shooting night. 

Both teams started the game relatively slow on the offensive end, but Gilgeous-Alexander provided a perfect six points in the first five minutes of the first quarter. He completed two and-one opportunities in the quarter alone, including a floater over Trevelin Queen. 

Upon entering at the start of the second quarter, Vasilije Micic gave Oklahoma City a quick boost off the bench. His first five points came off a three-pointer from the left side of the arc and a driving layup, and it sparked a little bit of life in a struggling offense.

At the 7:47 mark, Holmgren followed up Queen's two-handed poster with an alley-oop dunk of his own on the other side of the court, making the previous play irrelevant. 

It was another quarter of and-ones, as Gilgeous-Alexander alone converted two more attempts. He ended the half with 22 points, and received plenty of "MVP" chants throughout it. 

The biggest struggle for both sides in the first half was from the 3-point line, where neither team found much success. Orlando shot an abysmal 3-of-20, but Oklahoma City shot an even worse 3-of-22. 

The Thunder still kept a nine-point lead to set itself up for a re-energized second half.

And re-energized it was. Holmgren started off the third quarter with a pair of three-pointers, a shift from the struggles from deep in the previous 24 minutes.

Later at the 5:22 mark, Gilgeous-Alexander converted his fifth and-one of the night, pump-faking Jalen Suggs in the air and drawing a foul. In the final fifty seconds of the quarter, he drove baseline and kicked out a beautifully-timed pass to Isaiah Joe for three points. 

Jalen Williams still had room for more, swishing a buzzer-beater from half-court to give the Thunder an 86-73 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. 

Williams kept his momentum going in the early minutes, hitting a pair of tough jumpers. Micic followed up by hitting a running Joe down the court with a bullet pass, paving the way for a clean dunk from Joe. 

The Magic never quite went away however, with Banchero truly emerging in the fourth quarter and taking over its offense. Oklahoma City didn't fully put it away until the final couple minutes, closing out a 12-point victory.

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