Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 121-115 to end a three-game losing run. Stephen Curry led the team with 36 points and made clutch plays in the fourth quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, Curry scored or assisted on 13 straight points for the Warriors in a four-minute span that gave Golden State its first victory in three attempts during a season-high seven-game homestand.
For the Warriors, Klay Thompson scored 15 points, while Jonathan Kuminga added 19.
For Orlando, Paolo Banchero finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and Franz Wagner added 25 points. On a four-game road trip, the Magic have dropped their opening two games.
Midway through the third quarter, Curry went on a scoring spree, making two 3-pointers and dishing out two more assists. This helped the Warriors establish a slim lead, which the Magic managed to whittle away when Curry took a second-half break.
When Curry came back with 8:33 remaining, though, he took over the final minutes. He scored during a drive to give Golden State a 101-97 lead. On the ensuing possession, he made a step-back 3-pointer to increase the lead to 104-97.
With 2:29 remaining, Curry added assists on consecutive baskets by Thompson and Kuminga to put the score 110-101. From that point on, the Warriors held on.
With 3.5 seconds left, Curry made a four-point play to give Golden State a 55-52 lead, capping an exciting first half. Orlando tied the game at the buzzer when Gary Harris made a three-pointer in response.
Without star forward Draymond Green, who has missed the last ten games due to an indefinite suspension for striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, the Warriors have improved to 9-9 on the season. Before the game, head coach Steve Kerr revealed that while he has been texting Green, he hasn’t seen him at the team facilities and doesn’t know when he would return.
Kerr remarked, “We’ve been giving him our space, and he’s been giving us ours.”
Gary Payton II hurt his hamstring late in the third quarter and did not play again, costing the Warriors another important player.
