Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder past Magic 102-94
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Orlando Magic 102-94 on Tuesday night.
Chris Paul added 20 points and six assists for the Thunder (3-4), who held their opponent under 100 points for the fourth time in seven games. Steven Adams had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Aaron Gordon had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Magic (2-5), who have yet to reach 100 points in a game this season. Orlando had six players reach double figures in points, including Jonathan Issac, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Nikola Vucevic had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Oklahoma City led 58-53 at halftime and managed to hold the advantage until Al-Farouq Aminu's two free throws tied it at 81 early in the fourth quarter.
The Magic tied at 83 a couple of minutes later but never regained the advantage. They pulled within 88-87 on Gordon's long jump shot with 4:44 remaining, but Oklahoma City used a 9-2 run over the three-plus minutes to regain control.
Both teams shot poorly in the fourth quarter, with the Thunder at 33.3 percent (7 of 21) and Orlando at 26.3 (5 of 19).
TIP-INS
Orlando: Evan Fournier entered tied for the team lead with 16.8 points per game but managed just four, all free throws, while shooting 0 of 7. It was his first game this season in single digits. ... The Magic held the edge in rebounds, 53-38, with 16 offensive boards, including 11 in the first half. ... Orlando held a significant advantage in bench points, outscoring the Thunder's reserves 39-26.
Oklahoma City: Denis Schroder averaged 19.5 points over his previous four outings but scored just five in this one, shooting 2 of 11 from the floor. ... The Thunder hold a 10-2 record against Orlando at home, winning four in a row.
UP NEXT
Orlando: The Magic face Dallas on Wednesday night. The Mavericks are off to a surprising 4-2 start.
Oklahoma City: The Thunder are on the road Thursday to take on the San Antonio Spurs.