Oklahoma City – The Thunder hosted the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back to back and you could definitely tell it was the second night of a back to back. They sat NBA vets Al Horford and George Hill so they were already undermanned to start the game and having no fans didn’t help at all.
With no fans, it’s going to be hard for teams on the second night of a back to back to bring the energy they need on both ends of the floor and that showed early for the Thunder. They came out a little flat on offense and played a little uninspired on defense. The only two guys that played with a little intensity were Isaiah Roby and Justin Jackson, guys who didn’t play the first two games.
Outside of those two, the starters as a whole didn’t seem to want to play. Once the second unit came in, Diallo provided a much needed spark for the team and got them back in the game to keep it close. Without him, or the second unit for that matter, this might have been a 20 point loss for the Thunder and that was pretty redolent of what the game would be like all night.
They kept it close and would get the Magic lead down to 1-4 points and even tie it a couple of times but could never take the lead. In a game like this, swinging the lead their way just one of those times could have given them the momentum they needed all night.
One thing that has been trending downward in this short season has been the teams paint defense. The Hornets had 48 points in the paint against the Thunder while the Jazz had 50, and the Magic tonight had 72. The Hornets and Jazz don’t really have big men that score inside at a high rate but the Magic do in Nikola Vucevic who had 28 points tonight. Teams that have skilled big men or teams that just love living in the paint will thrive against this team and it’s something that needs to be addressed soon.
Despite the loss though, there were a couple of bright spots. There was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shooting 8-10 from the floor and had an all around good game. There was also Dort who who has been consistent on offense so far this season. They had Diallo who continues to provide a spark off the bench. The biggest bright spot though was big man Isaiah Roby who got his first NBA start tonight. This was his 4th NBA game but really the first real game he’s played where he got a lot of minutes and opportunity and he did not disappoint.
Roby is a guy that should get more minutes. He has some work to do on the defensive end of the floor but is a very talented offensive player. With his shooting and driving ability, they could play him at PF so he’s not taking minutes away from the guys at center as well as play him at center from time to tine. But plain and simple, he’s too talented of a player not to be getting consistent minutes for this young team.
Just like last night though, it was a good growing lesson for this young team. They have to come out with some intensity and have to learn to get over the hump to win close games if they want to be successful.
The Thunder were led by SGA who shot 8-10 and had 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while Roby added 19 points and 7 rebounds. Dort gave them 15 points and 4 rebounds. They got contributions off the bench from Diallo who had 13 points and 8 rebounds and Mike Muscala who had 14 points and 5 rebounds.
Thunder have a day off tomorrow and will be back in Chesapeake Energy Arena on New Years Eve to take on the Pelicans.
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