OKLAHOMA CITY — Groundhog Day might have been Monday but Tuesday night between the Magic and Thunder felt like a repeat of most other contests from the past two months for Orlando.
Jamahl Mosley‘s squad failed to get off on the right foot, trailed by as many 41 points and fell 128-92 during its lone trip of the regular season to Paycom Center.
Behind 20 points from league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City led wire-to-wire when the Western Conference opponent imposed its will against Orlando’s defense.
Owners of the league’s best defensive rating (105.8 per NBA.com), the Thunder (40-11) scored 28 points off 16 Orlando turnovers en route to the 36-point victory.
With the NBA trade deadline set for 3 p.m. Thursday, the Magic (25-24) return home to face the Nets at Kia Center that evening.
Another slow start
The Magic opened 1 for 8 from the floor and ended the first quarter 4 for 22.
Orlando went about four minutes from the 7:35 mark of the opening frame to the 3:38 mark without scoring. That allowed the Thunder to lead 39-14 after the first 12 minutes of action.
The team’s 18.2% field-goal percentage marked a season-low for any quarter for Orlando’s field-goal percentage (previously shot 21.2% from the floor in the 4th quarter of a Jan. 9 game vs. Philadelphia).
Paint points
Oklahoma City had no problem scoring near the basket early and often. In the first half alone, the Thunder shot 14 for 20 (70%) in the paint for 28 points.
On the other end, Orlando shot 6 for 17 (35.3%) for 12 points in the paint before the break.
And the Thunder continued to attack the paint the rest of the night. They finished with an 60-26 scoring edge in the painted area.
Inaccurate from distance
The Magic missed their first 10 shots from beyond the arc. It wasn’t until Moe Wagner’s 3-pointer at the 9:59 mark of the second quarter did Orlando hit from distance.
The team ultimately finished 13 for 41 (31.7%) from 3-point range.
The Thunder weren’t much better when they shot 12 for 35 (34.3%) from distance.
Rookie watch
Noah Penda entered late in the first quarter. The French forward shot 4 for 11 from the floor for 11 points with five rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
First-round pick Jase Richardson stepped onto the floor late in the third frame. The No. 25 pick was scoreless in 13 minutes.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
