NBA Notes: Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Magic, Anthony Black, Warriors

Thunder

The Thunder just keep rolling. Oklahoma City improved to 6-0 after a 127–108 win over the Wizards, led by another dominant outing from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in 31 points through three quarters.

Isaiah Joe made a splash in his season debut, hitting five threes on his way to 20 points as OKC racked up 16 steals and forced 23 turnovers.

The Thunder now hold a 21-game win streak against Eastern Conference teams, the longest interconference streak in NBA history.

It’s been businesslike, too. Every night, someone different steps up — but the constant remains Shai, setting the tone on both ends.

Magic

Orlando finally looked like the team it’s supposed to be.

The Magic snapped their four-game skid Thursday with a 123–107 win over Charlotte, shooting 52% from the floor and 42% from deep.

Franz Wagner scored 21, Paolo Banchero controlled the game with nine assists, and Anthony Black had his best outing of the season — 20 points, 8-of-13 shooting, and a handful of hustle plays that reminded everyone why the team’s so high on him.

The Magic forced 21 Hornets turnovers, turning 10 of them into 29 points.

Jonathan Isaac also gave them a jolt off the bench with 15 energetic minutes and three second-quarter blocks.

“That’s the blueprint,” coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters. “That’s who we are when we’re at our best.”

Warriors

For the Warriors, it was one of those nights.

Milwaukee, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, still beat Golden State 120–110, and Steve Kerr could only laugh afterward.

“It shouldn’t be that way, because we’re like 0-12 when the stars don’t play,” Kerr said, via NBC Bay Area. “If I were the opposing coach, I’d sit my star every time.”

The Bucks got a career-high 32 points from Ryan Rollins, plus double-figure nights from seven others.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Jonathan Kuminga combined for 74 points — not enough to overcome the lack of defensive focus Kerr admitted was missing.

“Every team has nights like this,” he said. “We’ve just seen it a million times — when the other team’s star sits, everyone else gets excited. Tonight was one of those.”