Golden State Warriors struggle without Curry in win vs. Magic
The Golden State Warriors found a way to defeat Orlando Magic despite not having Steph Curry on Monday at Oracle Arena.
The Golden State Warriors weren’t as dominant a team with Stephen Curry stuck on the sidelines due to a right thigh contusion, but they still found a way to extend their win streak to seven with a 110-100 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday at Oracle Arena.
The Dubs improve their regular season record to 11-3, which currently leads the NBA’s Western Conference alongside the Houston Rockets. Golden State will now travel to visit Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics to kick off a 4-game road trip.
Kevin Durant was expectedly the highest scorer on Monday against the Magic, leading all scorers with 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 30 minutes. He shot pretty well from the field, going 9-of-18 on the night (50.0 percent).
Shaun Livingston stepped up big time in Curry’s absence, finishing with 16 points, two rebounds, six assists and one steal in 20 minutes. As always, Livingston was incredibly efficient, shooting 6-of-12 from the field.
Draymond Green had his best scoring night of the season, tallying 20 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals 32 minutes. He also posted a team-high +25 on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (72.7 percent) and 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc (60.0 percent).
Klay Thompson added in 15 points, four rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes, shooting 5-of-11 from the field (45.4 percent), 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc (60.0 percent) and 2-of-2 shooting from the free throw line.
Golden State struggled to pull away early in the game, going into halftime tied with Orlando 56-56. It was clear from the jump that the Warriors were forced to change their entire gameplan without Curry, which possibly played into their problems in the first half.
Next: Steph Curry held out vs. Magic due to thigh contusion
The Dubs found their rhythm in the third quarter, routing the Magic 32-19. Many hoped that the Warriors would become the first team to win seven consecutive games by a margin of 17 or more points, but Orlando went on a fun in the fourth, bringing the game to within ten before the final buzzer.
Hopefully Curry will be good to go by the time the Warriors face the Celtics on Thursday at TD Garden.