Oklahoma City Thunder (54-15) beat Orlando Magic (38-30) 113-108 on the road on Tuesday, March 17.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder struck first, taking the opening quarter 26-22 and a 4-point lead after one. The Magic cut into the deficit with a 28-25 second quarter, though the Thunder still led by 1 at halftime.
The Thunder won the third 34-29 to create some separation, taking a 6-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 29-28; the Thunder held on for a 113-108 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder made 26.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.3 for the Magic. The Thunder grabbed 26.2% of their own misses, while the Magic recovered 19.2%. In a 5-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 110.4 points per 100 possessions to 105.5 for the Magic.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 40 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl on 14-27 shooting. His Game Score of 29 led everyone. His team was -4 with him on the floor.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 32 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast on 12-21 shooting, good for a 25.2 Game Score.
Paolo Banchero (32 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) and Chet Holmgren (20 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 58% for the Thunder.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 3-0.
The Thunder are now 54-15, and the Magic are 38-30. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.