Stephen Curry’s three-point play with 1:38 left in overtime put Golden State in front for good, his driving hoop 44 seconds later gave him a 41-point night and the Warriors downed the short-handed Orlando Magic 126-119 on Saturday night in San Francisco.
After a Tristan da Silva 3-pointer, Orlando’s 18th of the game, had put the visitors up 118-117 with 2:24 remaining in the extra period, the teams exchanged misses before Curry took matters into his own hands. He drove for an 8-foot floater and was fouled by Wendell Carter Jr. Curry’s free throw gave Golden State a two-point lead.
Carter then missed two potential game-tying foul shots, after which Curry connected again on a similar shot as his previous success, only this time without the foul, giving Golden State a 122-118 advantage.
Yaxel Lendeborg then capped a 23-point, eight-rebound, three-block night with a dunk and two free throws for the seven-point winning margin. The Warriors won their seventh straight despite getting outrebounded 24-3 on the offensive boards and outscored 26-10 off turnovers.
Curry’s 41 points gave him 40 or more for a second time this season. His 16th 40-point game since turning 35 allowed him to break a tie with LeBron James for the most in NBA history.
Brandin Podziemski chipped in 15 points and Georges Niang 11 for the Warriors, while Draymond Green had a game-high 13 assists as well as six rebounds, two steals and two blocks to complement just two points.
Franz Wagner paced Orlando with 30 points, making three 3-pointers. The Magic connected on 18 in the game, including five by da Silva to account for a majority of his 19 points and three from Carter as part of his double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Six of Carter’s rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Wagner also completed a double-double with 11 assists, while Jamal Cain, who had 12 rebounds, and Anthony Black contributed 18 points apiece. Teammates Desmond Bane (illness), Paolo Banchero (sprained right ankle), Jonathan Isaac (left knee management) and Jalen Suggs (bruised right knee) did not play.
The loss was Orlando’s fourth straight.
A game in which the Warriors led by 16 at the half wound up in overtime after a 37-point Orlando explosion in the third period and a tip-in by the Magic’s Cain with 1.5 seconds left in regulation that produced the 12th tie of the final period.
–Field Level Media
