You never know who you’ll run into in the NBA. There’s an upset in the league almost every night, because (almost) every team and (almost) any player is capable of catching fire at any moment. And you just might run into them.
For the first half on Thursday, Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic were that team for the Golden State Warriors. The Magic are more talented than their mediocre record would suggest: they looked like one of the better teams in the league early in the year, before getting hit hard by injuries, which they’ve mostly recovered from. So the Warriors knew they could catch fire. But even the most optimistic Orlando fan had to be surprised by what transpired.
The Magic jumped out to a 13-3 lead, prompting an early Steve Kerr timeout. The Dubs responded with good energy, but they were no match for the red-hot Magic.
Entering the game, Orlando was 29th in the NBA in field goal percentage at 43.8%. They were dead last in three-point percentage at 30.4%. Yet after the first quarter, the Magic had shot 4-for-6 on threes, and 15-for-18 overall. It certainly wasn’t a good defensive effort by the Warriors, but it was more a case of the Magic simply hitting everything they put up. An off-balance prayer of a corner three for Jett Howard went in as the quarter came to a close, giving the Magic a 34-23 lead. It was early danger time for a Warriors team kicking off a five-game road trip.
Golden State looked unfazed to start the second quarter, but Banchero was on a superstar tear. He drained a pair of threes to make it a 48-32 Orlando lead four minutes in, prompting a Warriors timeout (Banchero would end the half with 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting). Steph Curry briefly put the team on his back, but the Magic kept hitting shot after shot after shot. An Orlando mid-range jumper with 1.5 seconds left in the half gave the Magic a 17-point lead … and then the game flipped.
Rather than be despondent with the big lead, Curry took the inbounds and hoisted a shot from Orlando’s three-point line. It swished through the net, giving the Dubs a sliver of momentum going into the half, despite trailing 66-52.
Kerr made a halftime adjustment, with Quinten Post replacing Moses Moody to open the half. It turned out to be a brilliant move. After Curry scored three quick points (and Banchero naturally responded with three of his own), Post took over, going on a 10-2 run all by himself. That not only cut into the deficit, but gave the Warriors the energy and confidence that has defined the team since acquiring Jimmy Butler III at the trade deadline.
From there they went to work, with a pair of Curry free throws capping a 25-7 run and giving them their first lead of the game as they neared the halfway mark of the third quarter.
Curry was only getting started though. He went on one of his patented runs, draining three after three, pushing the lead to double digits, and dropping 22 points in the third quarter alone. In a flashback to the pre-Butler days, the team started to fall apart when Curry went to the bench, and the lead evaporated. But Moody drained a clutch three at the buzzer, giving Golden State a 92-87 lead going into the fourth.
It was clear that the goal of the fourth quarter was to attack, attack, attack. Within the first minute-and-a-half, the Warriors had drawn four fouls. Within the first three minutes, the lead was pushed back to 12 points, with Post once again dominating in the early goings of a quarter.
But Orlando — so talented and so energetic — had a few more runs in them. Yet every time they made one, Curry had an answer. They pulled to within four points with just under three minutes remaining, and Curry answered with his 11th three of the night. A pair of Banchero free throws made it a two-point game with 1:55 remaining, but Curry answered with his 12th three. Even when he couldn’t make a three, possessions ended in his dominance: After Franz Wagner made a pair of free throws with 1:19 remaining to make it a three-point game, Curry missed a three … but Butler grabbed the offensive rebound. After Brandin Podziemski missed a shot, Draymond Green grabbed a second offensive rebound, and cleared to Curry, who drew a foul 25 feet from the hoop with 40 seconds remaining.
From there on out it was just a matter of making free throws. Curry made those, then Butler made a pair shortly later. Curry made another two, Green split a pair, and the final buzzer sounded, giving the Dubs a 121-115 win.
And for Curry? A casual 56 points, and yet another statement made in a long career of them.
As he usually does, Curry scored with mesmerizing efficiency, shooting 16-for-25 from the field, 12-for-19 from three-point range, and 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Post matched that efficiency with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 2-for-4 on threes and 2-for-2 on free throws, while Green finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors needed all of those contributions, because the Magic’s young core put on a thrilling performance of their own. Banchero finished with 41 points on 16-for-27 shooting, while Wagner finished with 27 points on 11-for-22 shooting.
For Golden State, it was their fifth-consecutive victory, tying their longest winning streak of the season. They’re 7-1 since adding Butler, and are now just a half-game behind the LA Clippers for the sixth seed in the West.
Things are looking good. The Dubs now get a day off, before visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.
