OKC Thunder: 3 keys to victory tonight vs Orlando

The OKC Thunder jump back into action tonight for the second half of their back-to-back, this time against the Orlando Magic.

Despite the belief that 2020-21 would be a relative “throwaway” season, through their first two games the OKC Thunder appear to not have gotten the memo.

Starting off the campaign with a thrilling buzzer-beating victory, only to lose at the buzzer in their second outing, Oklahoma City finds themselves with a record of 1-1 and, though it’s still very early in the year, they have impressed thus far.

Now, heading into tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic, Mark Daigneault looks to get his team back over .500.

In order to achieve this, however, he’ll need to have his team hone in on these 3 keys to victory:

OKC Thunder key No. 1) Take out Nikola Vučević

Truth be told, this Orlando Magic team is quite deep and talent runs rampant throughout. From guys like Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier to Aaron Gordon and the seemingly rejuvenated Markelle Fultz.

However, while there is ample talent in tow, this team goes as far as their All-Star, Nikola Vučević takes them.

Because of this, like every team the Magic goes up against, perhaps the most important gameplan is to try and take out the big man, or, at the very least, slow him down.

Averaging 17.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 38 percent shooting from deep, Vučević has been the biggest factor in Orlando’s undefeated start to the year.

Mitigate his impact — easier said than done, I know — and you’re positioning yourself for a breezy victory.