Although his team was not as strong as during his MVP seasons, Stephen Curry still shows how amazing he is.
Curry had 40 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Andre Wiggins beat 21 to lead the Dubs to a 111-105 victory over the short-handed Orlando Magic.
Head coach Steve Kerr is not surprised by what Curry has been doing all season.
‘It’s routine, which’s the crazy part of it. You just expect it, Kerr said. ‘These 3’s he hits when there’s nothing offensive, and he just uses his dribble to just free himself, not exactly with a ton of space, but just a few inches of space, and then he gets up and you expect every one of them to enter. This is pretty crazy. He’s really in a good groove. ‘
It was close throughout the second half, but the Warriors were finally able to put away a Magic team that missed four solid players 16-6 in the fourth quarter.
We have the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dubs seen in this one. Even without a center, the Warriors are a much better team than the Magic, who have lost seven of their last eight games. The Dubs looked like they were in a different class than Orlando in the first and fourth quarters, but struggled in the second and third quarters.
“Well, it was an interesting match. A lot of swings, some strategic adjustments by both teams along the way, ‘Kerr said. “It simply came to our notice then. We did it, I was very proud of our guys. ”
The weak play came mainly to the attacking end. Without Curry in the game, Golden State lacks a game creator to attack the edge and create for teammates. The good news is that Draymond Green is finding its form.
Green finished with 11 assists, the fifth consecutive game he scored double-digit double-digit.
Golden State has started playing hot against an Orlando team that is missing Aaron Gordon, Cole Anthony and Michael Carter-Williams. The Dubs took a 29-19 lead after the first 12 minutes and looked like they were well on their way to a comfortable victory.
But as usual the second quarter started, the second unit allowed the opposition to come into play again with Curry on the bench.
The Magic defeated the Warriors 12-6 over a time of 5:43 with Steph out of the game. When Curry returned, the offense stagnated for the rest of the second quarter.
There was little ball movement and a lot of suit for outside shots. Golden State tried to break a franchise record of 30 shots from outside the arc in the first half, while shooting only two free throws. It came with 1:45 left in the second quarter when Andrew Wiggins hit both of his efforts off the charity line.
Orlando outscored Golden State 36-18 in the period. The second unit of Magic kept them in the game, scoring 31 points in the first half, against the Warriors eight.
What Kerr also said to his players during the break worked. After Vucevic hit a 3 to start the third, Curry and Draymond Green combined to score 11 points in a row to tie the game. Golden State was able to take an 84-80 lead in the final quarter, it was then that the Warriors were finally able to pull away from a troublesome Orlando group.
All in all, it was another inconsistent performance for the Warriors. They looked good for stretching and for others like an under-five team. Either way, a win is a win, and Golden State is two games over .500 at 14-12.
Kerr also said he is hopeful that rookie James Wiseman will return to the series soon. This will give the Warriors a big boost.
Next: Kevin Dubant and the Brooklyn Nets are the Dubs hosts. This is the first time the Warriors have encountered Durant since signing as a free agent during the 2019 offseason at Brooklyn.