Tag: Orlando Magic

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

The best moments from the Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal jersey retirement ceremony

The Orlando Magic finally retired Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey in an awesome ceremony.

The Orlando Magic honored one of the best players to ever wear the uniform, Shaquille O’Neal, by retiring his #32 jersey on Tuesday night.

It was a long wait for O’Neal, who last played in Orlando during the 1996 season before making the switch to the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, he still led the franchise to the NBA Finals in 1995 and played a major role in the team’s history after joining in 1992. It was high time for the Magic to enshrine Shaq permanently for his immense contributions to Orlando.

His ceremony featured some really neat moments that will absolutely take you back, and we’ve gathered them for you below.

You can watch a replay of the jersey retirement ceremony on YouTube.

PHOTOS: Best images from Thunder’s 127-113 win over Magic

The best photos from the Thunder’s 127-113 win over the Magic.

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter their 2024 All-Star break on a high note following their 127-113 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

The duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams led the way with a combined 65 points. Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and five assists while Williams had 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting.

After being limited to eight points in the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 24 points in the second half. Meanwhile, Williams went nuclear in the fourth quarter with 17 points.

Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s 14-point win over the Magic.

Player grades: SGA, Jalen Williams total 65 points in Thunder’s 127-113 win over Magic

Player grades for the Thunder’s 127-113 win over the Magic.

Walking towards the perimeter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suddenly made a quick turn and created enough space from Paolo Banchero with a mini-stepback to swish in the fading baseline jumper.

The All-Star starter then turned to the crowd and gestured for them to go home. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2024 All-Star break on a high note after collecting a 127-113 win over the Orlando Magic.

“I thought it was a really focused effort, I thought the guys were really locked in,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault on the win. “After the start, (it) wasn’t great, other than that, stuck to the gameplan, hung in there through a couple of runs.”

After trailing by as many as 11 points in the opening frame, OKC cut it down to a one-point deficit following the first quarter.

The Thunder scored 29 points in the second frame to enter halftime with a 60-52 lead. OKC’s reserves did an excellent job surviving Gilgeous-Alexander’s first-half struggles.

Then in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander turned it up and led the Thunder to a 32-point frame by accounting for 15 of those points. OKC entered the final frame with a 92-82 lead.

With Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench, the Thunder went on a massive 19-8 run in the final frame to build a double-digit lead. By the time Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in, OKC held a 16-point lead with a little over six minutes left.

After leading by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, Orlando went on a 14-4 run in the final minutes to cut OKC’s lead to as little as 11 points, but alas, there wasn’t enough time to make a serious push.

Jalen Williams headlined the Thunder’s 35-point final frame. He scored an eye-popping 17 points in 10 minutes with slices to the basket as Orlando struggled to limit him.

Overall, the Thunder shot 55% from the field and went 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3. They went a nearly perfect 22-of-24 from the free-throw line. They dished out 28 assists on 46 baskets.

This was an impressive offensive showing considering the Magic have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league. OKC got plenty of quality looks and looked in rhythm for the entire contest.

The duo of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams once again led the way for OKC with 65 combined points on 55% shooting — Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and five assists and Williams had 33 points on 18 shots.

Chet Holmgren also contributed with 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

Meanwhile, the Magic shot 45% from the field and went 11-of-36 (30.6%) from 3. They went 20-of-25 from the free-throw line. They had 29 assists on 41 baskets.

Banchero had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 10 assists and six rebounds. Wendell Carter Jr. had 22 points and six rebounds. Jalen Suggs scored 17 points and shot 4-of-12 from 3. Franz Wagner was limited to 15 points on 16 shots.

The Thunder enter their week-plus long break with an impressive road win over a hot Magic squad that had won five of their last six contests entering tip.

OKC managed to play spoiler for Shaq’s jersey retirement ceremony and enter the All-Star break a clean 20 games above .500, which is the fifth time it’s happened in franchise history.

“I thought we ran through the finish line with these last two games,” Daigneault said. “That was evident tonight. Now got to take a deep breath, put some gas back in the tank and get ready for the stretch.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Shaquille O’Neal said he never thought the Magic would actually retire his jersey

This is so cool for Shaq.

On Tuesday night, the Orlando Magic retired Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey with the franchise after the NBA legend started his career in Florida.

While reflecting on this special moment during his typical duties working with TNT, O’Neal said he didn’t expect this to ever happen with Orlando and that it’s “definitely an honor” to be the first-ever Magic player to have their jersey retired with the team.

Orlando is the third major team to retire O’Neal’s jersey, joining his college program LSU and the Los Angeles Lakers. You can hear how appreciative the NBA veteran is to finally have it all come full circle with the Magic.

O’Neal had one of the best basketball careers of any of his peers, and it’s really awesome that he finally got the chance to see the Magic honor him formally as one of the franchise greats.

It’s a long time coming, but it’s also better late than never.

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Full injury report for Tuesday’s Thunder vs. Magic matchup

Full injury report for Tuesday’s Thunder vs. Magic matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play their final game before the All-Star break when they travel the road to take on the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

As expected, the Thunder (36-17) will have to wait until after the All-Star break to welcome their new veteran additions. Gordon Hayward (calf strain) and Bismack Biyombo (not with team) are both out.

Keyontae Johnson (G League two-way), Olivier Sarr (G League two-way) and Adam Flagler (G League two-way) are all also out.

Meanwhile, the Magic (29-24) have a clean bill of health. Not a single player from Orlando is listed on its injury report.

On Sunday, OKC snapped an eight-game losing streak that began in 2021 with a win over the Sacramento Kings.

Meanwhile, the Magic have racked up a ton of wins recently, going 5-1 in their last six contests. Orlando won an overtime thriller over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

This will be the second matchup between these teams this season. Last time, the Thunder won by double digits on Jan. 13.

Tip off from Orlando is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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Jalen Suggs happy to see rookie Chet Holmgren flourishing with Thunder

Jalen Suggs is thrilled to see former high school teammate Chet Holmgren healthy and performing well this season with the Thunder.

ORLANDO, Fla. — After playing together for three years in high school, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs will square off for the second time in the NBA on Tuesday.

Holmgren and Suggs were teammates at the Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Suggs, who is one year older, played one season at Gonzaga and had a large role in helping the program recruit Holmgren after he left for the NBA draft.

Suggs was the fifth pick by the Orlando Magic in 2021, while Holmgren was selected second in 2022 by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Suggs averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 assists as a rookie, and Holmgren is in the conversation to be the Rookie of the Year as the result of a strong campaign to date.

Holmgren is averaging 16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks on 39.4% shooting from 3-point range in 53 games. He is second in scoring among rookies and is one of two first-year players with at least three 30-point games.

The Magic guard is thrilled to see Holmgren succeeding.

“He has played well,” Suggs said at shootaround. “He is doing what he needs to do. (He is) handling business offensively and defensively, making an impact to winning. That’s what he does; that’s the type of person and player he is. I’m happy for him.”

After Holmgren missed last season due to a foot injury, the two finally had a chance to play each other when the Thunder hosted the Magic on Jan. 13. To celebrate the occasion, they swapped jerseys after the Thunder pulled out the 112-100 victory.

Holmgren and Suggs remain close and talk constantly in a group chat with some of their other friends. Suggs is excited to see Holmgren is healthy again and performing at a high level.

“I knew Chet was a great player,” Suggs said. “I’ve known that and have always seen it. To see him strive and flourish on this level this year after being out all last year is a blessing. I’m happy for him.”

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Jalen Suggs talks former teammate Chet Holmgren’s successful season

Jalen Suggs talks former teammate Chet Holmgren’s successful season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s contest against the Orlando Magic will feature a pair of former high school teammates squaring off.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs played together in Minnehaha Academy before both also joined Gonzaga, albeit in separate years. Suggs, who is a year older, went No. 5 in the 2021 draft while Holmgren went No. 2 in 2022.

After missing all of last season with a Lisfranc injury, Holmgren has blossomed into one of the best defensive players in the league despite his youthful age.

The 21-year-old is part of an impressive young trio in OKC with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams that has the Thunder (36-17) being in contention their first year together.

When asked about his former teammate’s immediate success, Suggs said he knew he’d make an immediate impact.

“He’s played well man. He’s doing what he needs to do,” Suggs said. “Handling business offensively, defensively. Making an impact to winning. That’s what he does, that’s the type of person and player he is. Happy for him.”

“I knew Chet was a great player. I’ve known it and I’ve always seen it. To see him strive and flourish on his club this year after being out all last year is a blessing, I’m happy for him.”

Meanwhile, Suggs has had his own successful campaign. After a so-so first two seasons, the 22-year-old has established himself as a starter for the Magic (29-24), who are having one of their best seasons in recent history.

Editor’s note: Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire contributed to this article.

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Thunder vs. Magic: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Tuesday

Thunder vs. Magic: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Tuesday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Thunder (36-17) will look to head into the All-Star break with a second consecutive win. On Sunday, OKC snapped an eight-game losing streak that began in 2021 with a win over the Sacramento Kings.

Meanwhile, the Magic (29-24) have racked up a ton of wins recently, going 5-1 in their last six contests. Orlando won an overtime thriller over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

This will be the second matchup between these teams this season. Last time, the Thunder won by double digits on Jan. 13.

DeMar DeRozan discusses slog of NBA season after Bulls lose to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, DeMar DeRozan admitted that players start to get tired this time of year.

After an empty trade deadline that saw the Chicago Bulls stand pat, trading nobody for the third season in a row, the team’s focus shifted back to the games. The Bulls traveled to Florida on Saturday night to take on the Orlando Magic. The contest went to overtime, but the Magic ended the night on top.

Mo Wagner’s 36-point performance led the way for Orlando, as the Bulls blew an 11-point third-quarter lead and failed to comeback at the end of the game after the Magic pushed ahead. Chicago shot just 3-of-12 in overtime as they failed to earn a win post-trade deadline.

After the game, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan admitted that players get tired this time of the season as the slog of an 82-game run catches up to them.

“Pretty sure everybody is tired,” DeRozan said via ESPN. “It’s that point in the season where everybody is waiting for a break. We have to leave it all out there.”

With just a week left until the All-Star break, players will get a chance to reset soon. But until then, they’ll just have to power through.

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