After the quack against Spurs, Golden State regained victory behind a stifling defense that caused 23 lost balls, allowing his attack to run and find rhythm. The Magic didn’t stand a chance.
Like the Spurs, Orlando however jumps at the throat of the Warriors by starting the meeting with a 12-2. The Warriors reacted faster than Saturday, however, with a 19-3 thanks to five consecutive winning shots. Despite five lost balls, Stephen Curry’s third 3-point buzzer in midfield gives them a five-point lead (31-26).
The only presence of the double MVP against the naivety of the young defenders of Magic allows Nemanja Bjelica and Gary Payton II to shine. The Magic take the water in the second quarter time, and return to the locker room with more stray balls (11) than assists (8), and 21 points in the bag (65-44).
Returning from the locker room, the Warriors’ long distance festival continues, with Andrew Wiggins transforming into Klay Thompson. The winger is five out of six from far in the third quarter, including four in a row, to increase the lead to 27 units and allow his team to finish the game in freewheel.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Steve Kerr’s anger. After the poor performance against Spurs, the Golden State coach expected a serious start from his players. Results ? The Magic were leading 9-0 after two minutes. While the Warriors quickly turned the tide, two stray bullets and a preventable Stephen Curry foul put Steve Kerr on edge. And if the double MVP made up for it by scoring a basket from midfield on the next action, the coach was seen on the bench between the first and second quarters with his face closed, discussing the decision to its leader with its staff. His penultimate team in the league in stray balls, Steve Kerr wants to make sure his players lose this nasty habit that could play tricks on them against tougher opponents.
– A one-way second quarter. In the wake of their defense and a Stephen Curry who was having fun, the Warriors gave their opponent a 22-7 at the end of the second quarter to take a 21-point lead at the break. On both sides of the field, the youth of the Orlando players has cost them dearly. Like Cole Anthony, they impaled in the defense of Golden State, losing seven balls transformed into 16 easy points for the locals. When he was able to set up his defense, the Magic made a series of avoidable mistakes. For example, the Warriors attacked Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr on pick & roll and the two interiors stayed low, giving all cooked 3-point shots to Curry, Poole and company. Finally, Stephen Curry’s “gravity” also caused a lot of trouble for the Magic’s defense, allowing the Warriors to enter the locker room 12 of 23 at 3-pointers.
– Andrew Wiggins’ hot shot. How many times have we seen Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson catch fire and the Golden State attack turn into “looking for a hot hand at all costs”? That night, it was Andrew Wiggins who received this treatment. The Canadian turned into “Splash Cousin” for two minutes where he chained four award-winning shots in a row to the delight of the Chase Center and his teammates.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP didn’t need to strain his talent to take Orlando’s defense from the back. He finished the game with 31 points to 7/13 3-pointers. He only needs 16 3-pointers to overtake Ray Allen at the top of the rankings for the most prolific 3-pointers in league history.
✅ Andrew Wiggins. With an 8 out of 10 at 3 points, his record in a game tied, and 28 points in total, Andrew Wiggins allowed the Warriors to kill the game in the third quarter. The winger continues to show that his role as second or even third offensive option suits him in the Golden State collective.
✅ Franz Wagner. The rookie was solid again last night with 15 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. He confirms all the good that we think of him since the start of the season.
⛔ Cole Anthony. The Magic point guard had a tough night against the best defense in the league. He lost 4 balls and finished the game with 9 points at 3 of 11 on shots.
THE FOLLOWING
Warriors (20-4) : Golden State will host the Blazers on Wednesday before heading to the East Coast for a five-game, seven-day road trip.
Magic (5-20) : Orlando continues his tour of California with a trip to Sacramento on Wednesday, before heading to Los Angeles to challenge the Clippers and Lakers.
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