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Tag: the field

  • Isaiah Hartenstein nabs first triple-double as Thunder blast Magic

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    (Photo credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)

    Isaiah Hartenstein had his first career triple-double and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Orlando Magic 128-92 at home Tuesday.

    Hartenstein had 12 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists, securing the triple-double when he picked up an assist on Isaiah Joe’s 3-pointer five minutes into the fourth quarter.

    Joe came off the bench for a game-high 22 points, tying a season high, while Luguentz Dort scored 18 and Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Thunder jumped out to a big lead early and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way in their third win in four games.

    Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 20 points, going 7 of 11 from the field. Paolo Banchero had 17.

    After a quick start, Gilgeous-Alexander cooled considerably, but used a third-quarter burst to keep his streak of 20-plus games alive. Gilgeous-Alexander has now reached the mark in 121 consecutive games, moving him five games from tying Wilt Chamberlain for the NBA record.

    Whether Gilgeous-Alexander would continue the streak was about the only drama left in the second half, after the Thunder outscored the Magic 39-14 in the first quarter.

    The Magic’s 14 points were their lowest in the first quarter since scoring 11 in the first quarter against Golden State in March 2024.

    Orlando missed its first 10 3-point tries, not connecting until early in the second quarter.

    The Magic fell behind big early for the second consecutive game. In Sunday’s loss in San Antonio, Orlando trailed by as many as 18 points in the first quarter.

    Hartenstein’s night was done shortly after his 10th assist as Oklahoma City’s starters were able to get rest late on the first night of a back-to-back.

    By the time Gilgeous-Alexander hit his first shot, he had three assists and three rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander assisted on the first two made shots of the game — both Dort 3-pointers.

    Gilgeous-Alexander finished 8 of 22 from the field, and added nine assists, five rebounds and two steals. He had 10 points and six assists in the first quarter.

    Joe delivered the highlight of the first half, cutting down the lane through the basket, taking a bounce pass from Hartenstein and finishing with a thunderous dunk over Banchero and drawing the foul midway through the second quarter.

    After trailing by as many as 35, Orlando cut the deficit to 23 midway through the third quarter but Oklahoma City quickly widened the lead again and the Magic never got any closer.

    The Magic shot a season-low 38.2% from the field.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Villanova hungry for a rebound, but Pitt might be even hungrier

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    (Photo credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

    Villanova is coming off a humbling loss, but the Wildcats won’t be getting any sympathy cards from the Pitt players.

    The Panthers have larger problems, as they look to avoid their fifth loss in six games Saturday when they visit Villanova for a nonconference matchup.

    Pitt (5-5) has endured a rough stretch that has included home losses to UCF (77-67), Quinnipiac (83-75), Texas A&M (81-73) and Hofstra (80-73). The team’s lone win in that span came on Damarco Minor’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Ohio State.

    More recently, in the loss to the Pride, Pitt received only 34 points from its starting lineup and allowed Hofstra to shoot 53% from the field.

    ‘I’m really disappointed in us, and this is not taking anything away from them, but we didn’t play with the necessary force that’s required to be good on either side of the ball,’ said Pitt coach Jeff Capel.

    The clear bright spot for the Panthers was Brandin Cummings, who scored a career-high 34 points off the bench. He went scoreless in 19 minutes in the team’s previous game before shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range against the Pride.

    ‘I thought he really practiced well the past couple of days,’ Capel said. ‘He seemed to have a little bit more pop, and he had an outstanding game.’

    Meanwhile, Villanova (7-2) is trying to pick up the pieces after an 89-61 setback at No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday. The Wildcats struggled with their shooting from the field (34%), the 3-point line (27%) and the foul line (64%) in the lopsided defeat.

    ‘You try to get some 3-point looks, but it’s hard because they are so well connected defensively,’ said Villanova coach Kevin Willard, whose team shot 15 of 31 from 3-point range in its previous game, a 27-point victory against Penn.

    Bryce Lindsay, who scored 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting – hitting 5 of 6 3-point attempts – against the Quakers, is hoping to bounce back from a three-point effort on 1-of-5 shooting against the Wolverines. The sophomore leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game.

    Pitt has won the last six meetings between the former Big East rivals, although they have not met since 2013.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Magic continue dominance over Wizards with decisive win

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    (Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)

    Paolo Banchero scored 28 points and added 11 rebounds and the visiting Orlando Magic thrashed the Washington Wizards 125-94 on Saturday.

    Orlando shot 51.1% from the field and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The Magic have won two straight following a four-game losing streak.

    Washington was unable to recover after being outscored 43-21 in the second quarter. The Wizards have lost four straight and five of their first six games.

    Franz Wagner added 25 points, while Wendell Carter Jr. recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, which outscored the Wizards 62-52 on points in the paint. Goga Bitadze chipped in 15 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of action.

    The Magic won their 11th straight meeting against Washington, dating back to March 21, 2023. Orlando shot 33.3% from 3-point range and 86.4% (19-for-22) from the free throw line.

    Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 17 points. CJ McCollum scored 13 points, and Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly added 10 apiece.

    George scored 10 of Washington’s first 18 points to help the Wizards take a 35-32 lead at the end of the first quarter.

    The Magic built a double-digit lead in the second quarter while scoring 43 points, including a 17-8 run to close the half. That gave them a 75-56 lead at intermission and marked the Magic’s most first-half points this season.

    Banchero scored 23 points in the first half and Wagner had 20 for Orlando, which shot 60.9% from the field for the half.

    Orlando’s 43 points during the second quarter tied the franchise record for most points ever scored in a second period.

    The Magic maintained their momentum and led 87-61 after opening the third quarter on a 12-5 run.

    Orlando outscored Washington 28-19 in the third quarter and took a 103-75 lead into the final period.

    Both teams rested their starters in the final minutes, and Orlando made three straight 3-pointers during an 11-2 run to close out the game.

    –Field Level Media

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