NBA: Warriors bounce back in a big way with a home win over the Magic
San Francisco, California - The Golden State Warriors got back to their winning ways at home by dominating the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
The Warriors wiped out the Magic 126-95 to get back on track after a surprising loss to the Spurs, improving their record to 20-4, which ties the Phoenix Suns for the NBA’s best record.
On the other end of the spectrum, Orlando has now lost nine out of their last 10 games.
A strong first quarter by the Magic ensured they only trailed the Warriors by five heading into the second.
Golden State put some serious defensive pressure on, holding Orlando to only 18 points in the second, taking a 65-44 lead into halftime.
The Magic made some adjustments and put in a strong third quarter, but still trailed by 19 with one quarter to go.
It was all too much to do for Orlando, as the Warriors finished off with another dominating quarter during which they held Orlando to 16 points, their lowest single-quarter point total of the night.
The player spotlight
Warriors guard Steph Curry (33) was up to his usual tricks again. He's a lethal weapon from three-point range and Monday night was no different.
But even though he made seven threes in the game, he was actually bested by teammate Andrew Wiggins, who dropped eight three-pointers on the Magic.
Still, Curry had a great night and finished the game shooting 8-for-16 overall from the field for a game-high 31 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.
The big picture
Despite the shock of going down to a team with a losing record in the Spurs this past Saturday, the Warriors recovered well and are doing just fine in keeping pace with the Suns.
Both teams have split the first two games they’ve played head-to-head, with two more to go, but with the way Golden State’s been playing all season, the Warriors should still be the best team in the West, especially since their other sharpshooter, Klay Thompson will be making his return from injury soon.
On Wednesday, the Warriors will stay at home to take on the Trail Blazers while the Magic stays on the road to play the Kings.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire