With their NBA Cup run concluded, the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder head from Las Vegas to Orlando to face the Magic on Thursday.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
- Advanced to Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final, where they lost 97-81 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Although Oklahoma City struggled offensively, the loss only impacted their earnings, not their record.
- Each Milwaukee player received $514,971 for winning the in-season tournament, while each Thunder player received $205,988.
- The Thunder’s five-game winning streak remains intact ahead of Thursday’s matchup.
- The team shot 33.7 percent overall (29 for 86) and 15.6 percent from 3-point range (5 for 32) in the final.
Coach Mark Daigneault believes the experience will benefit the Thunder, who are in the midst of a 13-day stretch without a home game. The NBA Cup loss is one of the few blips in the season for Oklahoma City, which holds the best record in the Western Conference.
The Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averages 30.3 points per game, third-best in the NBA. Jalen Williams follows with 21.7 points per game. Oklahoma City aims to secure a season sweep of Orlando after defeating the Magic 102-86 on Nov. 4.
Orlando Magic:
- Enter Thursday’s game struggling with injuries to their two leading scorers, Paolo Banchero (29 points per game) and Franz Wagner (24.4), both dealing with oblique injuries.
- Banchero hasn’t played since Oct. 30, and Wagner was injured on Dec. 6.
- Jalen Suggs (16.3 ppg) and Moritz Wagner (13.4) have stepped up to fill the gap, but the Magic are on a two-game losing streak.
Both the Thunder and Magic surrender an average of 103.5 points per game, the best in the NBA. Oklahoma City averages 115.6 points per game, while Orlando scores 107.1.
