Frustration games for world champion trio Thunder crash Shaquille O’Neal’s big evening
February 14, 2024, 11:45 a.m
For the first time, the Orlando Magic are no longer giving away a shirt number: Shaquille O’Neal’s. But the evening has a small flaw, because his successors previously lost to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Dennis Schröder and his new team are defeated for the first time.
The Orlando Magic suffered a home defeat in the NBA. The team led by the German world champion brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 113:127 (52:60). Franz Wagner in particular didn’t have his best day offensively, only hitting 5 of 16 shots from the field and getting 15 points and seven rebounds. Moritz Wagner was much more accurate and scored eleven points in just 14 minutes and also grabbed five rebounds. For Oklahoma, the second-best team in the Western Conference, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a combined 65 points.
After the game it became historic: With Shaquille O’Neal’s 32, the Magic pulled a jersey under the roof of the hall for the first time in their 35-year history and honored the legendary center, who began his NBA career in Orlando in 1992. Even though he moved to the Los Angeles Lakers after four years, O’Neal is still considered the greatest player in Magic history. He was Orlando’s first number one draft pick, first rookie of the year and first All-Star and led the Magic to their first championship final in 1995. The 51-year-old O’Neal is the third player in NBA history to have his number no longer issued by three clubs. His jersey also hangs under the hall roof in Los Angeles and Miami.
In his second game with the Brooklyn Nets, Dennis Schröder was shown his limits by the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won 118:110 and took their fifth win in a row. After his strong debut for the Nets, Schröder had a significantly weaker evening with nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Jayson Tatum scored 41 points for the Celtics.
2024-02-14 10:45:00
#NBA #Oklahoma #City #Thunder #crash #Shaquille #ONeals #groin #abend
