The NBA Cup Final was less than 48 hours ago, but it’s already a thing of the past as teams look to continue the regular season. While the game didn’t technically count against standings or stats, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked vulnerable in a way that they don’t very often as they were essentially dominated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half. Sometimes the shots just don’t fall, and while that was definitely the case on Tuesday, head coach Mark Daigneault is probably already thinking about adjustments that can be made if OKC finds themselves in a similar situation in the future.
Regardless of the loss, the Thunder is still the top team in the West, they still hold one of the most dominant defenses in years, and they’re still not even fully healthy yet. It’s difficult to tell exactly what the best version of this team is going to be, and so for now, OKC needs to continue doing what they have been doing: play tough, gritty defense and find ways to win games.
Tonight the Thunder will kickoff the first of a back-to-back in Florida as they take on the Magic in Orlando. The Magic entered the season with high hopes of making headway in the East, but their train has slowed down due to major injuries to key players. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have suffered torn right obliques and will end up missing quite a bit of time before they return, but Orlando is still no easy matchup. OKC would do well to show up with high energy and a renewed resolve to continue their trek towards one of the most successful starts in Thunder history.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 6 PM CT
Location: Kia Center (Orlando, Florida)
Television: TNT
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Orlando Magic Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Isaiah Joe
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Magic
- PG: Jalen Suggs
- SG: Tristan da Silva
- SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- PF: Wendell Carter Jr.
- C: Goga Bitadze
Injury Report
Thunder
- Alex Ducas (sprained lower back) is OUT.
- Adam Flagler (fractured right fourth metacarpal) is OUT.
- Chet Holmgren (fractured right iliac wing) is OUT.
- Dillon Jones (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (sprained left knee) is OUT.
- Jaylin Williams (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
Magic
- Paolo Banchero (torn right oblique) is OUT.
- Gary Harris (strained left hamstring) is OUT.
- Mac McClung (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Franz Wagner (torn right oblique) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 22-10 against the Magic in the regular season (13-3 at home, 9-7 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Magic 7 times, lost it once, and tied it 8 times.
- The Thunder went 2-0 against the Magic last season (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder is 1-0 against the Magic so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-0 on the road).