Magic vs. Thunder: Pregame Primer
vs. 
Orlando Magic (5-1, 2-1 road) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-3, 1-2 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, Tulsa Cox 27, HD 722; DirectTV 679, AT&T U-Verse 753)
Stream: Click Here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 6:00 CST
View from the enemy: Orlando Magic Daily
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 99.4 (25th), Magic – 118.0 (1st)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 99.8 (6th), Magic – 107.7 (19th)
Pace: Thunder – 90.5 (26th), Magic – 92.1 (19th)
The Thunder’s lost three in a row and staring a fourth straight in the face. Let’s be honest, I don’t think many of us have aspirations of winning this one. The Magic aren’t necessarily better than the Lakers, but it’s just a far worse matchup for Oklahoma City. And the thing about playing Orlando is that they can physically dominate you. Dwight Howard can and absolutely will own the paint tonight, but with their 3-point proficiency and inside-out ability, this is just bad match all around. I mean, how could you forget Howard’s triple-double last year in Oklahoma City?
OKC is a jumpshooting team with little to no post presence. Orlando is a jumpshooting, slash and kick team with a big time post presence. So if the jumpers aren’t falling for the Thunder, it could get ugly. There likely won’t be the bailout of Russell Westbrook driving the paint for buckets or counting on Kevin Durant to get points in the paint. OKC has to hit on all cylinders. Instead of trading off on good shooting nights, it would be nice if Nenad Krstic, KD, Westbrook and Jeff Green could all put it together.
THE MATCHUPS
There is one important one to me: Etan Thomas against Howard. Krstic might not even start tonight for all I know, because I’m sure Scott Brooks is planning on trying to use the much more physical Thomas on Howard. Thing is, Thomas is exactly the type of player that could get under Howard’s skin and take him out of his game. As always, I really like Thabo matching up with J.J. Redick, who is playing for the always injured Vince Carter. Redick wants to shoot and that plays into Thabo’s very long arms.
Mickael Pietrus is a solid defender than will guard Durant well, but Pietrus is also a threat to score. Plus, the always nasty Matt Barnes is waiting behind Pietrus. And Ryan Anderson – who is playing very well for the suspended Rashard Lewis, is hurt with a sprained ankle. So it’s Brandon Bass versus Jeff Green. Green actually has the advantage in the post and that might be somewhere OKC can look for points. Of course Howard will be waiting to crash and help, but since Uncle Jeff is a good passer, maybe the Thunder can find some easy dunks inside drawing and dishing.
The Magic normally have four guys in the starting five that can knock down open 3s, have great depth off the pine and of course, have Dwight Howard. Unless Kevin Durant goes nutszo tonight, I don’t have high hopes. But then again, just nine healthy bodies for the Magic… maybe there is some hope. Maybe I’m just thinking too much about last season’s domination. Thankfully though, after this OKC gets a few winnable games back on the docket.
Tip at 6:00 CST. Go Thun-dahhh.
Its just you.
Is it just me, or are a bunch of Hustle’s TOs a product of others not reigning his passes in? I don’t think all the numbers are as bad as they seem.
@Mully Mulls
Hustle’s. I like that.
jameer nelsons +/- is -24… westbrook is +30.. that is dominating a matchup
No it’s not
@The DON
Ok
@Warren Thx… Who knew that Westbrook had that kinda range?! We play like this, and you can bring on Boston!
Why is it Durant and then everyone else? We need some MOTION!
@The DON
Right now it is. Callin’ him “Westfilth”. This is not Earl the Pearl we’re talkin’ about.
Sorry for offending anyone with my over the top emotional rhetoric.
Anyway, collison is looking solid and his P.T. should be increased after this game.
Whoa, nice shot by Harden!
Oh my god what a pas by Harden to Etan for the And-1!!!!
I love Harden’s game! I demand he get more P.T.
@The DON
That was nice.
This is unreal.
Scrub time- up 32 w/ five min left. Time to let Serge, DJ, Livingston run with it. I will be pissed if one of our starters gets hurt from here on out.
This is unreal indeed! We play the kings next right? There is no excuse for why we shouldn’t be 4-3 after that game!
Over .500 here we come….again
I think we should win the next 3 after this. Sactown then the Clips then the Spurs.
westbrook and durant are at +38 and +37 in the plus minus today… Thabo at +27…Nenad at +20.. Green at +17… props for you two people who called the thunder having a big game today because i certainly didnt!!
can I see some IBAKA action?! Please?!
We want Ibaka! We want Ibaka!
I hope this same team shows up next Saturday in San Antonio. I’ll be there!
I don’t know about winning the next three- but looking ahead, we have a really good shot at finishing November with a .500 record, which is amazing as hard as this month looked coming in.
Funny Comentary “Thomas getting calmed down by baveta”, “Well it did look like Etan was going to rip his head off”
There’s your C-Mark Royce! Well.. I was right about the 102… but GEEZ! I know you thirstay…. Say Aaaahhhhh Aaaahhhh Aaaahhhh!
Sadly they are no good at math!
Ok the next 3 games we should AT LEAST go 2-1. If we come together and play well we could steal that game vs. Spurs. But anything short of beating kings & clips will be a disappointment.
Come on Thunder! 5-4 by next sunday!
@The DON
What a great and different year (though Houston still stings me particularly), we can actually feel favored in games and expect a win. Even against the scrub teams last year you didn’t know what Thunder team was going to show up. This year, we are good enough to beat teams even on a sub-par day, and likewise good enough to beat great teams on a great day.
Crazy game, and really sad I couldn’t see anything but the end of the 4th quarter (just got back into town). Someone earlier was talking about the Durant and everybody else show? Was it really that bad? Our offensive efficiency killed us last year because we played that way. Even in a win I don’t want to learn that guys aren’t playing as a team.
Also, I know someone is going to talk about how depleted Orlando was, but I don’t think that should be much of an excuse for what is considered to be, far and away, the deepest team in the league.
.500, with winnable road games ahead. The Thunder rolls.
@Keith
I think the “Durant and everybody else show” was just a short period. They seemed to move the ball fairly well most of the game.
@Keith
i believe he was reffering to a certain part of the game when durant was in a groove and there werent very any offensive options on the floor. so a 2 or three times durant just drove and shot or drove and dished it out.
The Clippers will be a tough matchup for us, with as well as Kaman and Camby are playing
Magic had Carter, Anderson and Lewis hurt. Clippers have Griffin on the bench. Kevin Martin and Garcia are injured for Sacramento. Tony Parker twisted an ankle tonight and could be out for up to a week.
Either the stars are aligning for the Thunder, or we’re going to get a lot of grief for playing teams when they’re not completely healthy. Either way, as long as we can win, I don’t care.
Great game tonight!
@Lefty
We wobn our games last year with our stars out so I think it is the stars aligning theory.
We won