Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t getting too caught up in his team’s perfect start.
“There’s still 76 games left,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’re not even close to what we need to be to accomplish what we want to accomplish, which is obviously winning big. So yeah, it’s cool. We’re not satisfied at all.”
Starting the season 6-0 for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder will try to keep their winning streak going on Monday night against the Orlando Magic.
Oklahoma City is average in offensive rating, scoring 112.5 points per 100 possessions after ranking third last season.
However, the Thunder are leading the league in defensive rating by a large margin, allowing just 95.1 points per 100 possessions. No other team is allowing fewer than 101 points as of Monday.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 26.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in six games this season.
The biggest change for him has been his increased willingness to shoot from long range. He is averaging 7.2 three-point attempts, which is double what he averaged last season.
Oklahoma City has won by an average of 17.7 points per game, with no game being closer than 12 points.
The Thunder are coming off a 105-92 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Monday’s game will kick off a period where Oklahoma City plays seven of its next eight games at home.
While the Thunder are doing well, the Magic are struggling since losing Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft — just ahead of Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren.
Banchero suffered a torn right oblique in Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls. He will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Orlando’s losing streak has now reached three games after a 108-85 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.
The Magic are 0-1 this season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and Monday’s game will be the fourth in a five-game trip for them.
With Banchero out, second-year forward Jett Howard has taken on a bigger role. Howard played a career-high 22 minutes in the loss on Sunday.
“Jett played with a high level of energy,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He got his shot whenever he needed to … but we gotta sit down and guard and play defense the right way.”
The Magic might be without Wendell Carter Jr., who missed Friday’s loss against Cleveland due to right knee tendinitis before starting against the Mavericks.
However, after playing less than nine minutes, Carter left the game in the second quarter. He was emotional on the bench after injuring his left foot.
Another Magic center, Goga Bitadze, has missed the last four games because of a tendon strain in his left foot.
Monday’s game will be the first of two matchups this season between the Thunder and Magic. Oklahoma City won all their meetings last season. The Magic haven’t won in Oklahoma City since early in the 2020-21 season.
