Feb. 3, 2026, 11:19 p.m. CT
OKLAHOMA CITY — One by one, OKC’s best players came out for warmups. Going through their usual routine, the group of question marks all became officially ready to go. Considering it was a coin flip of that happening, fans got the best possible outcome as the reigning NBA champions flexed their muscles.
The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely destroyed the Orlando Magic in a 128-92 win. In their second straight wire-to-wire victory, they led by as many as 41 points and by double-digit points for most of the night.
To start things off, Lu Dort swished in a couple of outside jumpers. He had an extra pep to his step. Eventually, the Thunder started the game with a comical 25-8 lead. That only escalated the rest of the way. They had a 39-14 advantage after the first quarter.
The second quarter was filled with highlights for the Thunder. Playing within the flow of the offense, Isaiah Hartenstein felt daring and attempted an outside jumper. A few possessions later, Isaiah Joe had his annual poster when he dunked over a struggling Paolo Banchero.
The Thunder had 29 points in the second frame. They entered halftime with a 68-41 lead over the Magic. The final result was already known. The only drama left was on the miscellaneous level. Eventually, Gilgeous-Alexander crossed the 20-point mark at the free-throw line. OKC scored 26 points in the third frame. It had a commanding 94-68 advantage.
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The fourth quarter turned inconsequential. Hartenstein logged his first career triple-double in it. Everybody for OKC logged serious minutes. They scored 34 points in the final frame and added to the final tally.
The Thunder shot 52% from the field and went 12-of-35 (34.3%) from 3. They shot 20-of-26 on free throws. They had 33 assists on 48 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points and nine assists. Joe scored 22 points off the bench. Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dort finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Hartenstein totaled a 12-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist triple-double. Kenrich Williams had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Magic shot 38% from the field and went 13-of-41 (31.7%) from 3. They shot 11-of-11 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 34 baskets. Four Magic players scored double-digit points.
Banchero struggled with 17 points and four assists. Jalen Suggs had 20 points and six assists. Anthony Black finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Noah Penda tallied 11 points and five rebounds.
Welcome back, old-school Thunder. It’s been an up-and-down month plagued by injuries. But these last two games have shown that they’re still the team to beat when push comes to shove. They completely dismantled the Magic in a game that was over within the first few minutes.
The most encouraging part about it — Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t really needed in this one. Instead, OKC’s supporting cast showed out as Orlando looked overwhelmed from the moment the ball was thrown up in the air. Everybody across the roster had their moments in this one. What a way to get back into the groove of things and return to their dominating self.
Let’s look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: C
Driving to the basket, Gilgeous-Alexander forced Jase Richardson to foul him. The reigning MVP went after the Orlando rookie a couple of times to extend his historic streak. Swishing the second free-throw attempt, he finally reached 20 points the blue-collar way.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 20 points on 8-of-22 shooting, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Considering how synced up everybody else was, Gilgeous-Alexander read the room. He took a backseat as more of a playmaker than a dynamic scorer. The Thunder quickly buried the Magic on the scoreboard. That was the top goal of this one as they have a more exciting matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of this back-to-back.
It was another game where Gilgeous-Alexander showed off his facilitating. If the Magic tried to double him, he swung the ball elsewhere or found the open man himself. The passive approach at least created some intrigue in a second half that most folks would’ve skipped otherwise.
Sitting at 12 points, Gilgeous-Alexander needed a few more buckets to keep his streak alive. For a moment, it looked like he wouldn’t get it. The mid-range jumper was off. They didn’t feather in like they do most nights. It led to one of his more inefficient scoring outings. Eventually, though, he forced the issue and got there.
Gilgeous-Alexander sat out the fourth quarter. Feels like it’s been a while since that’s happened. You always welcome a short shift — especially considering who’s next up on OKC’s schedule.
Isaiah Hartenstein: A
Setting the ghost screen on Desmond Bane, Hartenstein rolled to the basket without any interference. As Gilgeous-Alexander drew the attention of both Orlando defenders, he threw a lollipop pass over to the seven-footer for the elementary alley-oop. That’s been an element the Thunder have missed on offense.
Hartenstein finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 4-of-5 on free throws. He also had one block. It was his first career triple-double.
It’s been a minute since we’ve this version of Hartenstein. Even after he returned from his initial soleus strain, his vertical leap was gone. Recently returning from a month-long absence, this was the closest he’s looked to the early-season version of himself that became an advanced analytics darling.
Once Gilgeous-Alexander threw the first alley-oop to Hartenstein, the Thunder quickly remembered how dangerous that wrinkle can be for their halfcourt offense. He was spoonfed plenty of easy looks around the rim. It’s the type of easy offense that has been dearly missed by OKC.
Elsewhere, Hartenstein helped on the boards. That’s the other part of basketball he helps with. Just look at OKC’s rebounding splits when he is and isn’t on the floor. The playmaking also shone. Running the secondary offense, he helped his teammates get easy looks inside the paint. His signature dribble handoffs also mustered up quality looks from deep.
With everybody aware of how close he was to a triple-double, Hartenstein finally achieved the statistical crown when he found Joe on a dribble handoff that formed into a curling 3-pointer. The remaining OKC crowd celebrated in what turned into a fun and stress-free fourth quarter.
Chet Holmgren: B
Pump-faking from the perimeter, Holmgren decided to put the ball down and drive to the basket. Bumping into Wendell Carter Jr., he went with his signature turnaround fadeaway jumper. The ball swished through as the Thunder kept their distance in the second half.
Holmgren finished with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 2-of-4 on free throws.
On a night where everybody had it going, Holmgren played in the background. The outside jumper didn’t fall, but he made up for it by hanging around the basket. When your team almost doubles the opponent on the scoreboard, it’s difficult to be the guy who completely messes with their synergy.
The other side of the floor is where Holmgren had the better impression, anyway. The Magic only shot an ugly 42% from inside the paint. A pretty wild stat considering their whole thing is being bigger than your frontcourt. The 23-year-old roamed as a rim protector. Nobody in Orlando could crack the code on how to maneuver around him for layups and dunks.
Again, Holmgren didn’t really steal any headlines. But not for the wrong reasons. He naturally plays within the flow of the game — for better or worse. Tonight, it was for the better. The Magic’s incompetence to run a decent halfcourt offense favored the Thunder from the jump.
Lu Dort: A
Catching Gilgeous-Alexander’s pass, Dort calmly knocked down the outside jumper to open up the scoring. Soon afterward, he received the reigning MVP’s pass as the trailer. One dribble later, he knocked down another outside jumper to set the tone.
Dort finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, five rebounds and one assist. He shot 4-of-5 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had two steals.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Thunder have returned to their championship-level play as Dort has had his best stretch of the season. The outside shot is finally starting to fall. Think we all knew that was due. Now that the percentages are at a respectable number, opposing defenses won’t be able to cheat off him much longer.
On the other end, Dort has returned to being one of OKC’s best perimeter defenders. It was an easy assignment against the Magic. They don’t really have a high-end perimeter scorer. That makes it easy to beat up on Orlando’s backcourt, filled with complementary guys more than bucket-getters.
After a slow start to his season, Dort has turned things around in recent weeks. How the Thunder play defense is directly tied to how he holds up against the opposition’s best scorers. Against Banchero and others, it was just too easy. Especially since Orlando’s franchise player is going through an existential crisis on what his fit is there.
Isaiah Joe: A-plus
Cutting to the basket, Joe caught Hartenstein’s bounce pass. As soon as the ball reached his hands, he flew off the floor. On his way to a nasty dunk, Banchero decided to make it a poster as a late contest only added an extra spiciness to the highlight play.
Joe finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He shot 5-of-8 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one steal.
Now and then, Joe reminds everybody why he’s OKC’s best outside shooter. This was one of those games. The 26-year-old had it rolling the moment he stepped on the floor. Seven of his buckets were assisted by Hartenstein. You can tell those two have missed playing with each other as a second unit offense.
When the Thunder can get this type of scoring production from their role players, they’re unbeatable. Last game, it was Cason Wallace at Denver. This game, it was Joe. As much as you want to question his value in the playoffs, you can’t discount this type of production in a mundane regular season.
With an endless amount of energy, Joe ran all over the floor to get open looks. He helped the Thunder put this one away with 11 points in the second quarter. It added to their avalanche run that didn’t stop until the final buzzer. OKC is on a roll. You can sense it when its role players start to feel confident about themselves.
Kenrich Williams: B
Going with the pump-fake, Williams dribbled his way to his favorite mid-range spot. Penda couldn’t stay in front of him. The 31-year-old felt comfortable enough to flip up the floater that swished in. The finesse scoring play helped the Thunder put this game away in one quarter.
Williams finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had one steal.
A decimated frontcourt paved the way for Williams to get consistent minutes over the last month. Let’s just say he’s taken advantage of the opportunity. He’s played his way back into the rotation. Which shouldn’t be a shocker. Anytime he logs serious minutes, positive things usually ensue.
Williams scored seven points in the opening frame to put this game away. He’s shown he can score at all three levels on a decent clip. The tough-nosed defense is another reason why the Thunder should figure out how he can get more minutes the rest of the way.
In his sixth season with the Thunder, Williams knows what it takes to play your best basketball when the games matter the most. He feels like this group is reaching that point. Let’s see if that continues, but it’s hard to deny the evidence when OKC is mostly or even fully healthy.
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