Trio of point guards make their mark:
Although the Magic weren’t in the upper echelon of teams they entered this game with 21 wins and 13 of those came on their home court. Orlando had struggled to find their offense but was among the best defensive squads in the association.
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Combatting that stellar defense was the performance of the three OKC Thunder point guards. As per typical Chris Paul did what was necessary as he captained the reformulated starting lineup and scored in moments when the offense got stuck.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on a roll at this stage in the season. Following this match, I noted in the grades how SGA was in the midst of ascending to new levels. The incredible 20 points, 20 rebounds (and 10 assists) night had occurred just a week prior in Minnesota. In the next five games, the Canadian produced three consecutive double-doubles versus the Blazers, Rockets, and this game against the Magic when he dropped 18 points and 12 assists.
Again, as noted in the grades (which can be viewed here) Gilgeous-Alexander had achieved two double-doubles through his first season and 28 games of his career.
Yet, the x-factor in this win and game ball went to Dennis Schroder who proved to be unstoppable for Steve Clifford’s crew. He scored 31 points coming just short of the double-double with nine assists along with three rebounds. Moreover, Schroder scored his 31 points on a highly efficient 13 of 18 field goal shooting.
The game is on Fox at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m this evening. Later this week Fox will air the Kings match from January 29th and a special Steven Adams program.