The Oklahoma City Thunder remained unbeaten in Summer League play as they defeated the Orlando Magic Blue Team, 73-65 on Monday. The Thunder moved to 2-0 behind the combined efforts of Mitch McGary and Semaj Christon. The Magic got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 6-1 lead to begin the game. The Thunder weathered the initial storm and stayed in attack mode for the rest of the game. With the score 52-51 in favor of OKC, with eight minutes left in the game, the Thunder started to attack the basket at will and outscored the Magic 21-13 in those final minutes.
Oklahoma City featured three players that were constantly attacking the paint: Mitch McGary, Semaj Christon, and Levi Randolph. For the Magic, only Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja seemed to be trying out there. Christon thoroughly outplayed Elfrid Payton, who finished fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year vote last season. Christon consistently got past Payton to get into the teeth of the Magic defense where he displayed his playmaking ability and an array of tear drops and bank shots.
McGary put on a show, going from rebounding the ball on one end of the court to starting a one man fastbreak to the other side of the court. This has always been a part of McGary's game, and now he appears to be more comfortable in incorporating this into his repertoire. McGary also displayed a mid-range jumper, making shots that stretched out past 18-feet. If McGary is able to incorporate that into his game with the Thunder they may have their hands on another versatile offensive player.
For the Magic, Aaron Gordon put on a Summer League clinic. He had a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 boards. He displayed a versatile offensive game that featured mid-range jumpers, ballhandling, and playmaking. Gordon seemed comfortable handling the ball and being the focal point on offense. For Mario Hezonja, this game was likely a microcosm of what his rookie season will hopefully be like. There were flashes of brilliance, like the monstrous dunk in the first half and the 'in your face' three-pointer in the third quarter to bring the Magic within one. But there were also mistakes and inefficiencies that will be apart of Hezonja's rookie campaign. Hezonja's finished with 14 points, but on 6-of-16 shooting from the field (2-of-9 from the three-point line). One of his best comparisons coming in was J.R. Smith, and this performance was very Smith-esque.
Elfrid Payton, on the other hand, had a game to forget. He scored just four points on 1-of-3 shooting, while notching four assists and four turnovers. Payton's shot, which was his biggest weakness coming into last season, seems to have shown no improvement at all. This may be something to watch with this young Orlando team in the next 2 to 3 seasons.
The Thunder will play the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, while the Orlando Magic Blue team will play the Memphis Grizzlies.