Oklahoma City Thunder 97, Orlando Magic 89
by Evan Dunlap on Dec 26, 2011 12:35 PM EST
in 2011/2012 Recaps
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PrintKevin Durant scored 30 points, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded six assists in leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 97-89 win against the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening, keeping Orlando winless in franchise history in Christmas Day games played on the road. Ryan Anderson scored 25 points and made six three-pointers to lead Orlando in scoring, and Jameer Nelson added 18 points and six assists, but the Magic could not find consistent offense when they needed it, contributing to the defeat.
Orlando opened the game by jumping out to an 18-11 lead, fueled by 8-of-9 shooting from the field. It then missed 14 of its final 15 shots of the first period, allowing Oklahoma City to take a lead it would not relinquish. The first quarter's wasn't the only miserable offensive drought the Magic suffered, either, as they missed 13 straight shots between the third and fourth quarters, going nearly 12 full minutes of game time without a basket.
The Magic trailed by as many as 17 points, but battled back in the late third and early fourth quarters to make the game interesting again, finally forcing Oklahoma City to take difficult shots. Coach Stan Van Gundy found an unlikely spark off the bench in Von Wafer, who scored nine points on 2-of-2 shooting (5-of-5 from the foul line) in his nine fourth-quarter minutes. Wafer put the ball on the floor, attacked the basket, and got ahead of the ball in fast-break situations, giving Orlando some much-needed offensive dynamism.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic | 92.6 | 96.1 | 42.0% | 25.9 | 31.1 | 19.4 |
| Thunder | 92.6 | 104.7 | 54.2% | 26.4 | 16.3 | 18.4 |
| Green denotes a stat better than the team's 2010/11 average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's 2010/11 average. | ||||||
Wafer's performance contrasted sharply with that of starter Jason Richardson, who shot 1-of-10 for two points in defeat. Defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha, Richardson's counterpart at shooting guard, sorely outplayed him. When fifth options handily outplay Orlando's second, victories will be hard to come by.
The same holds true for when Dwight Howard does not get involved. Though he hauled in 15 rebounds, Orlando's superstar shot just 4-of-12 from the field and 3-of-8 from the foul line. Even discounting one of his shot attempts--a heave from well beyond midcourt to end the first quarter--it's a poor showing from Howard. Thunder centers Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed, who have experience defending Howard from their time spent in the Eastern Conference, leveraged him away from the basket on post-ups and made him work exceptionally hard just to get a shot off. And with nobody except Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu able to knock down an outside shot--those two combined for 8-of-17 shooting on three-pointers, while the rest of the team was 0-for-11--Orlando found its offense stymied.
The Magic return to action Monday night against the Houston Rockets.
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Do you think it is realistic
to see Von Wafer start at SG sometime this year or do you think that J-Rich’s new contract will keep him in the starting SG spot?
Also I agree 100% with SVG assessment of Ryno’s play last night. He might had a really good stat line in terms of points, but he might some very dumb and costly plays defensively and looked very indecisive and scared when he had to onto the ball for more than two seconds. As much I hate saying this, I am starting to realize that Ryno will never really be strong starting PF caliber player; he lack’s that natural confidence and mindset.
Where is this “SVG assessment of Rhyno’s play” at? I’d like to see it…
by ap3604 on Dec 26, 2011 3:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
My first actual viewing of the RA comments...
I’m not sure why everyone is saying the SVG called out RA or anything. He was asked specifically about RA’s game, and he basically said that the issues he saw from the whole team were also present in RA’s night. He wasn’t calling out RA any more than anyone else.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Dec 26, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions
Nilla "The Guerilla" Wafer
Best player on our team.
RAWR! (╯°□°）╯︵ ƃuıuɹnqǝʞı˥ǝʇsɐ┴ɐ
by aTasteLikeBurning on Dec 26, 2011 12:45 PM EST reply actions
That's a bit of hyperbole.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
Otis should be fired.
That’s not in reaction to this game, of course. I just feel like I have to say that after every game.
In regards to this game, I actually don’t feel too bad. I mean, it’s on the road against the favorite to win the West, and we missed a lot of open shots. I mean, what can you expect from a team who has to play Duhon more than 10 minutes? Dwight looked bad on offense though, both when he had the ball and also without the ball. J-Rich? Fire Otis, is the only thing I can say about him. Jameer played well, as did Ryan. Our defense actually played well after the first quarter, except when we couldn’t keep from fouling Harden.
Only criticism I can give of SVG is playing Doohon over Hughes. I mean, honestly, I know it’s Larry Hughes and all, but we know we can’t trust Doohon. I’d rather give Larry Hughes the chance to prove his dedicated website wrong than see Doohon play anymore.
Only way we (and Otis) get lucky this year is if J-Rich and Hedo play a lot better than this game (and last year), if Ryan keeps scoring somewhere close to he did in this game, and if Dwight and Jameer play up to their potential. Otherwise, we’re basically going to be the Hawks from 2009.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
Time to switch lineup
Play wafer or jj at sg, Richardson at sf
by dukenilnil on Dec 26, 2011 1:26 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Magic shooting problems
In no quarter did the Magic approach 50% shooting for that quarter. Their best shooting quarter was the fourth quarter, when they shot 8 for 18 (44.4%). In the first quarter, the Magic shot 9 of 24 (37.5%), the second quarter 8 of 21 (38.1%), and the third quarter 5 of 18 (27.8%). After the Magic opened 8 for 9, they finished the rest of the game shooting 22 of 72 (30.6%).
Oklahoma City shot better than 50% in the second (11 of 22) and third (9 of 17) quarters.
Jason Richardson had the third worst shooting game of his career in games where he has attempted at least 10 field goals.
The Magic were very sloppy with their ball handing in the second and third quarters, when they committed 13 of their 18 turnovers.
I know that raw plus/minus data from one game can be misleading, but Duhon’s -17 in 17 minutes and Clark’s -10 in six minutes really stand out.
Despite all that, the Magic lost by just eight points. If they can shoot the ball better and clean up their turnovers, better things will be in store.
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 Stanley Cup Champions
Chicago Bears... 2010 NFC North Champion
Orlando Magic... 1995 and 2009 Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Dec 26, 2011 1:37 PM EST reply actions
For me Wafer's +11 and Jameer's +9 stood out
I know Wafer’s was a little bit garbage time, but that’s still great. Jameer’s though is a real tell since he played the 3rd most minutes for us and still had the 2nd highest plus/minus. Hopefully that will continue in future games
"If Dwight spent more time practicing and less time b!tching, then maybe he’d be playing a little better." -My Mom
It was good seeing Jameer shoot over 50%
…at 7 of 13, especially since he made just 1 of his first 17 shots in the preseason games.
I’d like to see his turnovers down though, as he had four against OKC compared to six assists. He had a 17/3 assist/turnover ratio in the preseason.
As you mentioned, Wafer impressed in his nine minute stint, even though the game was already decided. It would be interesting to see how he does with more meaningful minutes.
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 Stanley Cup Champions
Chicago Bears... 2010 NFC North Champion
Orlando Magic... 1995 and 2009 Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Dec 26, 2011 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
I'll be shocked if Wafer doesn't see more minutes 2nite
Actually, i’ll be despondent
"Generally, when I draw the play, it's just who's going where. Maybe I have not made it clear enough that we would like the ball to go in the basket."
by AB's triple double on Dec 26, 2011 1:45 PM EST reply actions
If Dwight shoots 25% from the field, we're going to be screwed.
I doubt that’s going to be the case since Perkins has always made it difficult for Dwight, but weirder things have happened. Jameer was our best player last night and that’s how it should continue to be. Him and Dwight have to be the leaders this year for us to be as great as we need to be. Whenever Jameer was off the floor, our offense seemed to be stagnant but when he came back in we seemed to go on a run or at the very least the offense was more fluid. The most surprising thing I got from the game was Von Wafer. Time and again he would draw a foul or make the right decision with the ball. I don’t know how SVG could do it, but he needs to get Wafer some time on the floor. Ryan had an outstanding game last night and I liked how he crashed the boards. All-in-all, it was a great game for most in Magic uniforms, just bad shooting from some made it a tough game from us. Hopefully J-Rich and, to a lesser extent, JJ can turn it around next game.
"If Dwight spent more time practicing and less time b!tching, then maybe he’d be playing a little better." -My Mom
I love our system of live by th 3-die by the 3 but...
come on SVG should try something else when the 3s aren’t falling! Hedo needs to be more aggressive! SVG screamed at him “Shoot the ball, Shoot the ball” at one play when he penetrated and instead of shooting he passed the ball for the 3! SHOOT THE DAMN BALL!
Who?
Besides Jameer, honestly, who do you want to see drive to the rim?
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
Watch the difference tonight between offensive sets...
When Jameer drives deep into the paint, versus when we just pass the ball around behind the 3 pt line. If that first move from Jameer is to dribble into the paint, our success rate is huge. Whether it be a basket, drawing a foul, or freeing up another shooter—it’s a positive outcome on nearly every single occasion.
Compare that to the total breakdown when he simply passes to another player standing behind the 3 pt line. It’s like night and day. Opposing defenses just know to sit at the 3 pt line to defend our shooters—forcing nerves and bad shots. And few, if any fouls.
I want to see Jameer drive more—he did well at it last night. Von Wafer looked great taking it to the rim. I like seeing Turk take it into the paint. I even like seeing JJ take it into the paint, and then maybe passing to another open player. Great things happen when we are lively, and we take it into the paint, or to the rim.
Without it, our offense is so easy to defend.
Our offense is too predictable.
You are not gonna win many NBA games by just walking and passing the ball, you need to run! All Dwight Howards plays are the same: all guys in one side, Dwight at the other side, a still PG lobs the entry pass, then run past Howard to get out of the way.
For Dwight to be effective you need to test their D, make them guess, drive to the rim, and make Howard’s man rotate. They should try more pick and rolls, even when Howard is not a great shooter I rather have him taking jump shots over their PG than their C.
That’s how we won in the past, we gave the ball to Turk and made defenses guess: is he going to take an akward 3, take it to the rim or pass it to Dwight? If your enemy doesn’t know what you are going to do then you have already won half of the battle.
Last night OKC shot 52.6% on 10-19 shooting from 3.
As a team last year they shot a little less than 35%.
www.pnutbutterjams.com
-FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES-;;-►
by Blood, Sugar, Sex, ORLANDO Magic on Dec 26, 2011 4:28 PM EST reply actions
I'm probably the minority here
But I thought Duhon played ok yesterday. He wasn’t brilliant but he wasn’t bad.
Doohon isn't even a point guard anymore.
He’s barely a basketball player. He brings the ball up to halfcourt, and then passes it to Hedo or JJ to run the offense. The offense comes to a screeching halt when he’s in the game. The Magic were outscored by 17 in the 17 minutes he was in the game. We went from being right there in the first quarter while Jameer was in, to being down by like 13 by the time Jameer came back.
Signing Doohon honestly might be the worst signing Otis has made, even worse than the contract he gave Rashard.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
Trade Dwight, Fire Otis, Fire SVG
Probably wishful thinking on that last bit since he’s been, on average, a great coach. But the Offense is stale as heck, people know what to expect and SVG cant seem to change that.
The really frustrating thing is that Jameer was wasted...
On so many plays in this game, Jameer scrambled the Thunder defense with quick penetration, kicked out to a wide open shooter, and that shooter missed. Hell, on one occasion Hedo got a wide open shot and didn’t even take it – he just did nothing for a bit and then passed it to somebody who wasn’t open.
Never actually saw Ryan Anderson play some real quality minutes against an elite team
and he looks great. He improves on his one on one D and post game I can see him making an allstar game or two. Jameer played fairly well too. If they do blow this team up they’ve got some great pieces to trade or keep and build areound.
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