SGA drops 40 and sends Thunder straight to the playoffs
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned up the heat again. At Orlando on Tuesday night the OKC leader grabbed control and dragged his team to a hard-fought 113-108 win. This one mattered — with the victory the Thunder officially clinch a playoff spot. First club this season to lock it in, and it’s the third straight year they make the cut.
Yet the reigning MVP didn’t get off to a flyer. A ugly 4-for-12 in the first half had him looking slow. Then he blew the roof off after the break, pouring in 19 of OKC’s 34 third-quarter points. Orlando led 77-70 before the Thunder answered with a savage 15-2 run to flip the game, leaving the hosts a miserable 1-for-10 to close the period.
Orlando hangs tough but folds in the money time
The Magic weren’t about to quit, even after playing back-to-back. Paolo Banchero was massive (32 points, 10 rebounds) and Desmond Bane chipped in 16, and they rallied in the fourth to pull ahead 90-89. Thunder had an answer. Ajay Mitchell — the only other OKC player in double figures with 16 — hit five straight points at the right time to silence the crowd, backed up by Chet Holmgren doing damage inside (20 points, 12 rebounds).
In the final three minutes Gilgeous-Alexander shut it down. Quiet until the fourth, he then rattled off seven quick points to kill the suspense. Final tally for SGA: 40 points, tied his season high with 4 steals, and a nasty reality check for Orlando — their second straight loss after a seven-game run.
The absolutely bonkers Alex Caruso moment
You can’t recap this game without the weirdest play of the night. In the second quarter Alex Caruso lost a shoe on a defensive sprint. He picked it up but didn’t put it back on; instead he raced over to help on Tristan de Silva’s drive. An OKC player jumped to block the shot — holding Caruso’s shoe in his hand. Ref wasn’t amused: bucket counted for the Magic and a technical called on Caruso. That clip is going straight into every blooper reel this season.
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