Game Report: Warriors comfortably account for Magic

The Golden State Warriors have returned to winning ways, comfortably accounting for the Orlando Magic behind a scorching night from Andrew Wiggins. The 6-foot-7 wing knocked down a career-high eight three-pointers, going for 17 in the third quarter on his way to 28 for the game.

After falling behind 12-2 in the early minutes, Golden State set about asserting their imprint against the East’s 14th-ranked team. After going 5-17 from deep against the Spurs on Saturday, Stephen Curry was set on finding his range as he knocked down his first two threes.

The Golden State Warriors welcomed the Cole Anthony-led Orlando Magic to the Chase Center and sent them home with a solid double-digit loss.

He then knocked down another from near half-court, beating the first-quarter buzzer after a sloppy inbounds turnover had reduced the Warrior lead to two.

The team traded baskets early in the second, the Dubs lead at six halfway through the quarter. They then made the decisive move of the game, finishing the quarter on a 22-7 run to sniff out any chance of the Magic producing a freak upset.

The third quarter was all about Wiggins, perhaps his best period as a Warrior.

He knocked down five threes for the term, channeling a little Curry and Thompson as he actively looked for his shot as teammates found him. Despite the heroics, the Warrior defense struggled just as much as the Magic’s. Orlando outscored Golden State 35-33 for the quarter.

With the lead still standing at 19, the final period was primarily about two things from a fan’s perspective; how many threes Curry could attempt before Steve Kerr sat him, and another look at prized rookie Jonathan Kuminga.

The latter, having not seen any playing time across the first 36 minutes, played the entire final 12 minutes as the Dubs had the game in their keeping.

After spending time down at Santa Cruz, Kuminga got valuable minutes next to Curry and then Draymond Green.

The two-time MVP sat with 31 points on the night, including 7-13 from deep. As for Kuminga, he produced plenty of what Warrior fans wanted to see, including a huge putback dunk and then another throwdown in transition.

The Warriors ran out 126-95 winners, the 31-point win moving them to 20-4 and alongside the Suns as the best team in the league.

Golden State Warriors v Orlando Magic: Two Key Stats

1. Wiggins and Curry fire from three

It was a career shooting night for Wiggins and a bounceback game for Curry, the two combining for 15 threes on just 23 attempts (65.22%).

Incredibly, Wiggins 8-10 from deep has now catapulted him alongside Curry as the Warriors leader in three-point percentage this season. The pair are both shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc, clear of Otto Porter Jr. at 41%.

Unsurprisingly, Curry and Wiggins’ shooting led to a hot night for the team in general. The Warriors connected on exactly half their three-point attempts (20-40), whilst shooting 43-89 from the field overall (49.4%).

2. Kuminga production

He may be the most divisive player among Warrior fans and even the coaching staff right now. Does Kerr find minutes for him to develop to a level that could provide playoff minutes this season, or does the development come through the G-League first and foremost?

Kuminga again pushed his case for more regular minutes, scoring nine points and grabbing three boards in the final quarter.

Whether good or bad, he’s always noticeable on the floor, which is a lot more than can be said for some players in the league. Can he cut down the bad (turnovers, ill-advised shots, etc.) enough to move up a tier in the rotation?

The Warriors finish their homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, before embarking on a five-game road trip.