Stephen Curry ignited his own third-quarter explosion with a 50-footer at the halftime horn, then highlighted a 56-point performance with 12 three-pointers to protect a late lead that resulted in the Golden State Warriors’ 121-115 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Thursday night, February 27 (Friday, February 28, Manila time).
Curry’s 56 points were the fourth-most of his career and his 12 threes equaled his second-most, helping the Warriors win their fifth in a row and their seventh in eight games since acquiring Jimmy Butler in an in-season trade.
In the opener of a five-game trip, the Warriors trailed by 17 before Curry let fly from well beyond half court as the teams began exiting for the intermission. The shot swished, giving Curry 21 points in the half, but leaving the Warriors with a 66-52 deficit.
Quinten Post had 10 early points in the third quarter, but the period belonged mostly to Curry, who added 22 points to his total as the Warriors erupted for 40 to take a 92-87 lead.
Led by Paolo Banchero’s 41 points, the Magic got within 108-104 with 2:56 remaining and later even closer at 111-109 with 1:55 left. But Curry countered both times with three-pointers, allowing Golden State to retain a lead the rest of the way.
Curry shot 16-for-25 overall, 12-for-19 on threes and 12-for-12 at the free throw line. Outshot 50.6% to 45.6% overall, the Warriors prevailed on the strength of a 57-33 advantage in three-point scoring and a 30-14 advantage at the foul line.
The 56 points were 18 more than Curry had scored in any previous game this season.
Post finished with 18 points off the bench, Draymond Green scored 12 to complete a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds, and Moses Moody had 10 points for Golden State, which completed a season-series sweep of the Magic.
Butler shot 1-for-7 and totaled just 5 points, but did manage a game-high 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Banchero, who had 24 of his points as part of the Magic’s first-half dominance, shot 16-for-27 overall and 4-for-10 on threes. His 41 points were his second-most this season.
He also found time for 6 rebounds, a team-high 5 assists, and 2 steals for the Magic, who lost for the third time in four outings at the start of a seven-game homestand.
Franz Wagner backed Banchero with 27 points and Cole Anthony chipped in with 11, while Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with 9 points and 4 assists. – Rappler.com