OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Isaiah Hartenstein had his first career triple-double, Isaiah Joe scored 22 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Orlando Magic 128-92 on Tuesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points and nine assists, Lou Dort had 18 points and first-time All-Star Chet Holmgren added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the defending champion Thunder (40-11), who became the first team to win 40 games this season.
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Hartenstein played 23 minutes and scored 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The eight-year center became the 10th Thunder player to record a triple-double.
Oklahoma City was without Jalen Williams, who missed his eighth straight game with a hamstring injury, and Ajay Mitchell, who missed his sixth straight game with an abdominal strain.
Jalen Suggs scored 20 points for Orlando and Paulo Banchero scored 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Magic’s leading scorer Franz Wagner missed his fifth straight game with a high left ankle sprain.
It was the Thunder’s fourth annual HBCU Night and part of the team’s Black History Month celebration, and the team was greeted by an energetic crowd. Joe hit a three-pointer at the buzzer in the first quarter, giving Oklahoma City a 39-14 lead. This tied the Thunder’s record for the lowest points scored by an opponent in a single quarter this season.
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Joe’s left-handed shot against Banchero in the second quarter ignited the crowd. He completed a three-pointer to lead 56-24.
At halftime, Oklahoma City led 68-41.
By the third quarter, the Thunder’s only concern was whether Gilgeous-Alexander could extend his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 121 points. He scored 12 points at the beginning of the second half and did not score 20 points until he made a free throw with 2 minutes and 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He was just five seconds away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126 consecutive games with at least 20 games.
Next
Magic: Host Brooklyn on Thursday.
Thunder: Visit San Antonio on Wednesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
