Andrew Wiggins scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry made a clutch 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, and the Warriors hung on for a critical 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Curry finished with 17 points and 10 assists to keep help Warriors (38-34) hot on the road despite being without injured Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and losing Draymond Green to another ejection less than four minutes into the game.
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Curry was quiet for most of the night but finished with a flurry, scoring the final five points, including a dagger 3-pointer that led to a night, night celebration and an emotional kicking of chairs on the bench.
Klay Thompson scored 15 points and made three 3-pointers, moving within two of tying Kyle Korver for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Moses Moody added 12 points and Gary Payton scored 10 for Golden State.
Golden State Warriors
The win, coming on the back end of a back-to-back, keeps the Warriors locked in for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference with the NBA playoffs looming around the corner. It’s Golden State’s first win in Orlando since Dec. 1, 2017.
The Warriors did it with solid defense most of the night and stretches of solid offense, especially by Wiggins.
Golden State held the Magic to 11 points in the first quarter and forced 10 turnovers that led to 19 points.
After Orlando got within 94-93 with two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Wiggins missed a 3-point shot but the Warriors tightened up and forced a 24-second shot clock violation. Payton scored down low, then Curry made a driving layup to make it 98-93 with 70 seconds left.
Cole Anthony then airballed a 3-pointer and Curry responded with a deep 3, then made his nighty-night gesture to the crowd.
Here are the takeaways from Wednesday’s game:
Draymond's night cut short
Green was not happy with a questionable foul call against him and made sure to let the referees know about it. He continued to complain after play resumed and was quickly hit with one technical foul then another moments later, and was ejected less than four minutes into the first quarter.
It’s the fourth time this season that Green has been tossed from a game but the first since he returned from his NBA suspension. A frustrated Curry was seen shaking his head during the break in action.
Any time Green gets kicked out, it’s a blow to Golden State’s defense. With Kuminga already out with left knee tendinitis, this one really hurt.
Moses Moody and Kevon Looney, who played in just three games during the previous three weeks, helped pick up some of the slack. Looney had four points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes, while Mooney shot 4 of 9 including a crucial follow-up dunk off an offensive rebound midway through the fourth quarter.
Splashing dries up
Golden State has usually been able to lean on its perimeter shooting to bail the team out when the offense is struggling. Against the Magic, the Warriors were unable to get much going at all behind the arc.
Despite getting several open and uncontested looks, the Dubs missed on 14 of 16 3-point attempts in the first half. Thompson, who had made five or more 3s in four of his previous six games, had only one in the first half and finished 3 of 8.
Curry was blanked on his three tries before halftime, although one was a heave from just inside midcourt as the second quarter buzzer sounded. He was also 3 of 8 for the game.
It wasn’t just the Splash Brothers who sputtered on 3s. Moody was blanked on his four tries, while Brandin Podziemski and Chris Paul each whiffed on two attempts from deep.
Fortunately, the Magic have been the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting team this season and had their own issues shooting deep. They shot 10 of 32 behind the arc.
GP2 provides spark off bench
After the Warriors hit a lull in the second quarter when the Magic made a strong push, head coach Steve Kerr turned to Payton for help and got what he was asking for.
Payton connected on his first three shots and was very busy defensively, scurrying all around, forcing a pair of turnovers and diving on the floor for loose balls.
GP II made one of the game’s best defensive plays in the third quarter when he raced in from behind to block a shot attempt by Jalen Suggs, stopping an Orlando fastbreak.