Thunder Top Magic Behind Mann's Big Night

Oklahoma City and Orlando squared off Wednesday night in one of the most interesting matchups of the NBA season. While obviously the objective of basketball is to win every game, winning was the worst case scenario for either of these teams.

The Thunder was only 0.5 games behind the Magic in the reverse standings, meaning if Orlando were to beat OKC, it would boost the Thunder’s chance at a top pick.

Oklahoma City was too solid, though, behind Tre Mann’s 21 points. The Thunder hung on after a strong offensive performance to beat the Magic 118-112 Wednesday. While it’s a win on the scoresheet, it hurts the Thunder’s lottery chances, especially on a night where Detroit found a way to win.

Mann had another strong performance for OKC on the offensive end. The Florida product contributed 21 points, including three triples. Mann is proving he's huge scoring threat each night, finding all sorts of ways to get the ball in the hoop.

Helping Mann was Isaiah Roby who had a solid all-around outing. He finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, shooting an impressive 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

Theo Maledon was the real surprise, though, notching another promising performance with 25 points and six assists off the bench. He finished the evening shooting 9-of-13.

For Orlando, all five starters were in double figure scoring. Cole Anthony led the charge with 17 points and 11 assists, shooting an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor.

In the first quarter, Orlando came out firing. The Magic netted 34 first quarter points in an impressive offensive display.

The Thunder completely flipped the script in quarter number two, though. OKC exploded for a 34 point quarter of their own, led by Mann. He netted 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

The Thunder also turned it up a notch on defense, holding Orlando to just 19 second quarter points. OKC took a 60-53 lead into halftime.

Oklahoma City continued its strong play into the third quarter, closing the frame on a 7-0 run. Mann notched a tough and-one, followed by an Aaron Wiggins layup to take an 84-74 lead into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City coasted once again on the offensive end, having no trouble scoring. Maledon had a strong final quarter while the starters got a break, helping OKC maintain the lead. Down the stretch, Orlando made it interesting though. With just under three minutes to go, the Magic cut the lead to eight.

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