The Golden State Warriors have had their three-game winning-streak snapped by the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, falling to a 121-113 loss at Kia Center despite the absence of Paolo Banchero for the home team.
Having trailed for almost the entirety of the game, turnovers prevented any and all comeback efforts from the Warriors who again gave the ball away 18 times. However, the bigger concern for Golden State may be the growing inconsistency of their young players and role pieces who again struggled to step up and support big performances from Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Warriors need more consistency beyond Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler
After getting 51 combined points from Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski during Sunday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the pair tallied just 11 total points against the Magic as the Warriors failed to find offense beyond Curry and Butler.
Curry had 34 points, nine assists and three steals on12-of-23 shooting from the floor and 7-of-15 from 3-point range, while Butler added 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 13-of-15 from the free-throw line.
Yet Draymond Green was the only other Golden State player to score in double figures, with that coming in stark contrast to Orlando who had no less than six players score at least 13 points led by a 23-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance from notable offseason acquisition Desmond Bane.
Podziemski, Al Horford, Quinten Post and Buddy Hield combined to shoot 6-of-20 off the bench. With Jonathan Kuminga still sidelined by knee tendinitis, the lack of another dynamic scoring option was palpable for the Warriors in what was their fifth of a six-game road-trip.
Their lack of offense was matched by an inability to keep the long, athletic Magic out of the paint, with the hosts pouring in 64 points from the interior to make up for the fact they shot just 8-of-32 (25%) from beyond the arc.
There's always going to be a sense of inconsistency with role players in the NBA, but the lack of regular production beyond the veteran trio of Curry, Butler and Green has to be a concern for Golden State and head coach Steve Kerr.
The Warriors will now quickly travel to Miami for the second night of a back-to-back against the Heat on Wednesday, having now moved to a 9-7 record on the season to date.