Paolo Banchero, Magic turn back Thunder 126-115
Paolo Banchero had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the Orlando Magic beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 126-115JANUARY 5, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 11-3 · 1ST IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
11-3 · 1ST IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Next Game at Spurs · Wed 2:30AM
OKC -9.5 TOTAL 222.5
THUNDER at MAGIC | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | January 4, 2023
JANUARY 5, 2023 • YOUTUBE
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Orlando Magic - Full Game Highlights | January 4, 2023 | 2022-23 NBA Season
JANUARY 5, 2023 • YOUTUBE
Won't return against Orlando Williams is out for the remainder of Wednesday's game versus the Magic due to a left ankle sprain, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
Impact Williams recorded three points and two rebounds in 12 minutes before exiting Wednesday's game. The Thunder are down to Mike Muscala and Darius Bazley in the frontcourt, with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (lower leg) and Aleksej Pokusevski (ankle) also out.
JANUARY 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Heads back to bench Williams will appear off the bench Wednesday versus the Magic, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
Impact Williams jumped into the starting lineup for just the fourth time all season last time out and finished with a solid stat line overall. That being said, his role change didn't dramatically impact his minutes, so the shift back to the bench shouldn't be viewed as a major deterrent. He's still outside the top 200 in fantasy production on the year, so Williams isn't a significant piece in most formats.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Back in starting lineup Williams will start Wednesday's contest against the Magic, Brandon Rahbar of DailyThunder.com reports.
Impact Williams started the last two contests in December, totaling one point, 14 rebounds and two assists in 42 total minutes. However, he came off the bench last time out, while Kenrich Williams drew the start. The rookie second round pick will draw his third career start Wednesday, but he still figures to play around 20 minutes against Orlando.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Thunder Rookie Jalen Williams Jumps to No. 4 on Rookie Ladder Rookie Jalen Williams is earning league-wide praise after a productive week.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Injury Report: Magic Missing Four Due to Suspension as Gilgeous-Alexander Returns Oklahoma City is expected to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back for meeting with Magic.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Thrives in starting role Williams finished Monday's 150-117 win over the Celtics with 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 24 minutes.
Impact Williams supplanted Jaylin Williams in the starting five Monday, with head coach Mark Daigneault opting for an undersized frontcourt on a night star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) wasn't available. Given the ever-changing nature of Daigneault's rotation, Williams can't be considered a lock to see his playing time expand from what he received Tuesday, but a consistent 20-minute role would at least make him worthy of a look in deeper leagues where he's available.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Produces well in move back to bench Williams came off the bench and finished with eight points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3Pt), seven rebounds, three assists and two steals across 16 minutes in Tuesday's 150-117 win over the Celti...
Impact After starting at center in both of the Thunder's previous two contests, Williams shifted to the bench Monday while head coach Mark Daigneault rolled out a small-ball lineup featuring Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams in the frontcourt. Given how well the team played in the absence of star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it wouldn't be surprising if Jaylin Williams remained on the second unit Wednesday in Orlando, but the change shouldn't hinder the rookie second-round pick too much from a playing-time perspective. Williams should continue to see minutes in the teens while the Thunder are without the services of Aleksej Pokusevski (lower leg), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle), Ousmane Dieng (wrist) and Chet Holmgren (foot) in the frontcourt.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Lights up C's for 23 points Dort finished with 23 points (8-15 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two steals across 28 minutes in Tuesday's 150-117 win over the Celtics.
Impact Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) was sidelined for the front end of the back-to-back set, but the Thunder didn't miss the star guard, as Oklahoma City dismantled one of the NBA's top teams thanks to a quintet of players clearing the 20-point mark. In Dort's case, he did so while shooting more efficiently than usual from the field and three-point range, and he supplemented his offense with some counting stats on the defensive end. Dort is now averaging 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 triples and 1.4 steals in 30.4 minutes per game over his last eight outings.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Delivers season-high point total Giddey finished with a season-high 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and added five rebounds, five assists and two steals across 24 minutes in Tuesday's 150-117 win over the Ce...
Impact With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) sitting out, more of the scoring burden fell on Giddey, who responded with his third straight 20-plus-point performance and fourth in the past five contests. The second-year guard is shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range during that five-game stretch, so while the increased offensive production is a nice development, some regression should be expected moving forward. Any reduction in Giddey's scoring should be in some part offset by a rise in assists; he's averaging 3.3 dimes per game over his last three outings, well below his season-long rate (5.4 per game).
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Not on Wednesday's injury report Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Magic.
Impact Gilgeous-Alexander was unavailable Tuesday against Boston due to a non-COVID illness, but he'll return to action a day later. Over his last six appearances, he's averaged 29.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. Gilgeous-Alexander should reassume his duties as the team's starting point guard as a result.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Team Effort Leads to Historic Night in Oklahoma City The Thunder had too many top performers to count in Tuesday’s win.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Leading scorer in win Waters finished with 30 points (9-15 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 41 minutes during Tuesday's 122-117 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Impact Waters played a key role in helping the Blue secure the victory, finishing as the leading scorer while also being active on the glass. He also showcased his defensive versatility as a rim protector finishing with a team-high four blocks.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Opens up After Being 'Embarrassed' by Thunder The Boston Celtics suffered potentially their worst loss of the season Tuesday night. Boston hit the road to take on the shorthanded Oklahom...
JANUARY 4, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Eastern Conference Recaps, Jan. 3: Boston Celtics Dealt A Bad Loss To Shorthanded Oklahoma City The Thunder blew out the Celtics despite playing without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
JANUARY 4, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Eastern Conference Recaps, Jan. 3: Boston Celtics Dealt A Bad Loss To Shorthanded Oklahoma City The Thunder blew out the Celtics despite playing without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
JANUARY 4, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Eastern Conference Recaps, Jan. 3: Boston Celtics Dealt A Bad Loss To Shorthanded Oklahoma City The Thunder blew out the Celtics despite playing without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
JANUARY 4, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
Jaylen Brown says Celtics 'had it coming' in embarrassing Thunder loss The Celtics were embarrassed against the Thunder on Tuesday in a blowout loss.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • MASSLIVE.COM
NBA Rookie Rankings: Jalen Williams' ascent and the 'wizard' Dyson Daniels Paolo Banchero remains No. 1, but the gap has closed with the rest of Sam Vecenie's top five this time around.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Magic take on the Thunder on 3-game skid
Orlando looks to stop its three-game skid when the Orlando Magic take on Oklahoma CityJANUARY 4, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Drops 21 points in thumping Joe accumulated 21 points (8-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 2-4 FT), four rebounds and four assists over 28 minutes during Tuesday's 150-117 victory over the Celtics.
Impact Joe scored at least 20 points for just the second time this season, capitalizing on a Celtics team that didn't appear ready to play. He's carving out a decent role for himself in Oklahoma City, providing a nice scoring punch off the bench. The 23-year-old doesn't produce well enough across the board on a consistent basis to warrant a long-term spot on a roster in 12-team leagues, but he can have some appeal as a streaming option for three-pointers on nights when the Thunder are playing at less-than-full strength.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Plays well in spot start Wiggins racked up 17 points (7-8 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds and three assists over 32 minutes during Tuesday's 150-117 victory over Boston.
Impact Wiggins replaced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) in the starting lineup and matched his season high in scoring. While Wiggins' performance was an encouraging one, he was out of the rotation in the Thunder's previous game Saturday against the 76ers and failed to score a single point in three of his previous four appearances. With that in mind, fantasy managers should view Tuesday's outing as an outlier for Wiggins, who isn't on the radar in anything other than the deepest of formats.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Season-best performance Tuesday Mann supplied 21 points (8-11 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals across 32 minutes during Tuesday's 150-117 win over the Celtics.
Impact Mann stepped up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (illness) on the sideline, turning in his best all-around performance of the season. Mann has now scored at least 17 points in three of his past four games. His role tends to fluctuate from night to night, meaning the strong run of production could simply be a hot stretch. He isn't a player yet worth targeting in 12-team category or points leagues, but he may be worth streaming on future occasions when either Gilgeous-Alexander or Josh Giddey happen to be sitting out.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
