Stephen Curry’s final salvo stops Magic

Was there any doubt what Stephen Curry was going to do on that final play?

Elfrid Payton got into the lane and the rookie missed a layup off the back iron with the Magic up two. Evan Fournier had sunk in to try and contest an offensive rebound, but the Warriors picked up the ball and dished the outlet to Curry.

Tobias Harris was on an island as Curry approached. Curry dropped a crossover and Harris stepped back to try to cut him off. That was more than enough room for Curry, the best shooter in the NBA, to rise and fire.

Forty-seven minutes and 57 seconds of incredible effort and execution was down the drain thanks to the MVP candidate’s incredible penchant for making the long-range shot. Hindsight says Harris probably should have let Curry drive by him to tie the game. This IS Stephen Curry after all.

Of course, he drained the shot. game thaThe Magic never got the chance to answer. Orlando failed to inbound the ball with Draymond Green knocking Kyle O’Quinn‘s inbound pass to Tobias Harris away. Jacque Vaughn confirmed after the game that the final play was designed for Harris all the way. Whether it was poor play design or poor execution — likely both — is a matter for tape review.

The final result was a morale victory, but a 98-97 loss at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Tuesday.

The Warriors won their 10th straight game and are looking every bit the best team in the NBA. Their ball movement, particularly in the first half when they had 19 assists on 24 field goals, is sublime. This is a team with lots of fluidity.

But all is not perfect in paradise at the top of the standings. Golden State turned the ball over and Curry and Thompson struggled to make 3-pointers for most of the game (until the end). The Warriors had their chance to put this game away too. Golden State went on a roll at the end of the first half and took a 12-point lead early in the third quarter.

Orlando looked like it just would not have the fire power to keep up. The Warriors defense was forcing the Magic into difficult shots and everyone but Victor Oladipo was struggling.

That changed as the Magic buckled down on defense and took the lead, going on a 11-0 run in the third quarter to bring the game within two points. Oladipo was making his jumpers and doing a good job setting Tobias Harris in the post. Kyle O’Quinn was in the right spot and making his jumper. It was exactly how the Magic want their offense to run.

Oladipo scored a season-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Harris had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. O’Quinn, starting in place of Nikola Vucevic who was pulled out with back spasms before tip off, had 21 points and 11 rebounds. He adjusted in the second half to Andrew Bogut and did a better job battling on the glass.

It got even better in the fourth quarter as Orlando built a nine-point lead with Elfrid Payton attacking the basket. With Bogut out with foul trouble, the lane became free reign for Payton. He had some finish at the rim but he was better at dishing out to open shooters and giving others room to drive. Payton had seven points and six assists.

Orlando built its lead on good ball movement and great execution. The nine-point lead fell apart because the Warriors are that good.

Golden State finished the final four minutes on a 14-4 run. The Warriors almost exclusively made 3-pointers as Curry and Thompson came alive. Curry hit a 3-pointer and then Thompson came free for two more to erase the nine-point lead in about two minutes. The Magic had a turnover and a missed layup in their three possessions between the Warriors 9-0 run.

Orlando was not out of it. It was only a tie game at that point. And after the Warriors failed to convert on an Andrew Bogut alley-oop with 20 seconds left, it looked like the Magic were golden.

Payton got to the rim and missed the layup, the rest is history.

Where does Orlando look for missed opportunities?

Execution at the end of the game certainly hurt. Tobias Harris was the featured player late for isos and he failed to deliver this time. Elfrid Payton was running the show otherwise in high pick and rolls and it was executed OK. That missed layup is going to haunt Payton as a turning point in this game in an otherwise solid game for the rookie.

The Magic can look to the way they attacked Andrew Bogut too. Bogut had 12 rebounds including four offensive rebounds. Harrison Barnes also had four offensive rebounds and 12 rebounds total. Golden State had 13 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points. Those were missed opportunities.

The biggest came late in the game when Thompson missed an open 3-pointer and Curry missed two 3-pointers. Those offensive rebounds in a close game hurt even if it never resulted in points. It made the margin for error and the need to execute that much sharper. This young team was not quite ready to stand up to one of the league’s best defense with the stakes pushed that high.

There were plenty of morale victories to gain. This was a game where the team stood toe-to-toe with probably the best team in the league at the moment.

No one wants that. They want real wins. They had it slip through their fingers. Every possession mattered and the Magic frittered them away. That is the lesson they will take away most.

The pain of the loss is what will remain and hopefully feed the Magic through the rest of this road trip.