Orlando Magic Grades: Golden State Warriors 116, Orlando Magic 110
By Jean Racine
The Orlando Magic built a 17-point lead at halftime only to see Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson take it all away at the end.
116. 41. Final. 110. 38
The Orlando Magic kept rolling early against the Golden State Warriors, but the defending champs bounced back in the second half. The hot shooting of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson proved to be too much for the Magic to handle.
Durant had a season-high 49 points, single-handedly bringing the Warriors back into the game. His partner Thompson picked up the shooting and drained five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to score 29 points.
The Warriors erased a 17-point halftime deficit and eked by the Magic 116-110 win at Oracle Arena on Monday.
But the Magic had a great start to the game. Head coach Steve Clifford elected to go with Jonathon Simmons in the starting lineup. The same lineup helped spark a comeback in the second half of the win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Jonathon Simmons scored six points in the first quarter, hitting two 3-pointers. But he would not score again for the remainder of the game.
Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross continued their stellar play.
Nikola Vucevic scored 17 points in the first half and finished with 30 points. He was once again the Magic’s go-to guy. And Orlando went to him almost exclusively with the game on the line in the final three minutes of the game.
Terrence Ross scored 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 4-for-6 from three. One play signifies Ross’ game against the Warriors. Toward the end of the second quarter, he pulled up four feet from the 3-point line, got fouled, but still drained the three and made the free throw to complete the four-point play.
He also made a skyhook from about 15 feet with seconds remaining in the shot clock toward the end of the third quarter to stop the a Warriors’ run.
Despite Vucevic and Ross’ play the Magic could not stop the Warriors’ superstars to close out the game. Thompson and Durant scored 32 of the Warriors 37 points in the fourth quarter. And that proved to be enough as Orlando could not hold on this time.
A-. Nikola Vucevic had another great game. He was dominant in the post and in the mid-range game. The Warriors had no answer for him and had to double him. From there he dished it out to shooters and was solid on the block.<p>Vucevic finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. He made 12 of his 21 shots. It was an efficient and effective game where he perfectly worked and attacked the defense and whatever they gave him.</p><p>He was there for Magic until the final minutes of the game when the game slipped away. Vucevic showed that his in-between game is still strong, hitting more than a few mid-range jumpers</p>. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
Terrence Ross provided a spark for the Orlando Magic off the bench. He was fearless on the offensive end and deadly efficient, creating shots out of nothing it seemed regularly. Jacking up contested shots and hitting them, bullseye in the defenders’ faces.<p>He made the key buckets when the Magic needed it the most. As always, he was alive defensively, grabbing two steals.</p><p>Ross finished with a season-high 28 points, making 9 of his 15 shots. He hit a couple of 3-pointers and drew the foul. It was a dominant performance.</p>. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS. A-
B+. <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. MOHAMED BAMBA
JONATHAN ISAAC. B+. <a rel=. F. Orlando Magic
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS. B+. The Golden State Warriors won, but it was not a pretty win. The only players willing to score on the court for the vast majority of the game were Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, who combined for 78 out of the Warriors 116 points.<p>But they did outrebound the Magic 46 to 34 and make open shots. Golden State shot 49 percent from the field and 91 percent from the free-throw line. The Warriors relied on its stars and made the defensive stops to slow down the Magic.</p>. 15-7. 2nd West
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The Orlando Magic continue their road trip Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.