Orlando Magic Grades: Golden State Warriors 130, Orlando Magic 114
The Orlando Magic went punch for punch with the world champions. Then the Golden State Warriors kept scoring behind Stephen Curry and the game was decided.
Stephen Curry.
That was more or less the entire Golden State Warriors offense for much of three quarters and for the entire third quarter. He scored 24 points in that quarter alone on his way to 51 points in the game. Curry was on full display, draining a half-court shot before the third quarter buzzer.
That sucked a lot of win out of Orlando’s sails as the team tried desperately to stay in the game. And for the most part in three quarters, the Magic did. They raced down the court and moved the ball well, going point for point with the top offense in the league.
That was not going to last. Golden State’s general sloppiness was not going to last. The turnovers that kept Orlando in the game, albeit from plenty of active defensive play from Orlando, were not going to last.
The Warriors eventually gained distance and poured it on, getting good support from Marreese Speights, Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter.
The Magic had to call off the dogs early in preparation for Friday’s game. They could not find a consistent way to disrupt Curry or the Warriors offense to get a win.