Steve Kerr made it a point of emphasis following Sunday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs that the Warriors have to play with a better sense of urgency, especially with Steph Curry out for the foreseeable future. That wasn't the case Tuesday night in Orlando, as Golden State began its five-game road trip with an inexcusable 94-90 loss to the Magic, who came into this game with only 19 wins.
The Warriors scored just 17 points in the first quarter and 38 total in the first half. Once the second half began, the Warriors got their breath, woke up and looked like the squad that was supposed to come in and have their way with an extremely young Magic team.
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Otto Porter Jr. started the second half in place of Draymond Green, keeping Green fresh for the back end of the third quarter and that wound up being a great move by Kerr. The Warriors scored 36 points in the third quarter after their 38-point first half, paving the way for what looked to be a win.
That is, until they were outscored 29-16 in the fourth quarter.
Following an injury scare and a shoe change, Jordan Poole caught fire and continued to lead the Warriors' offense. He scored a game-high 26 points, continuing an extended trend. Poole, 22, became the second-youngest Warrior to score at least 20 points in 10 straight games. Rick Barry, 21, is the youngest to do so when he accomplished the feat in 44 consecutive contests.
Klay Thompson scored only 15 points and his late foul on a Franz Wagner 3-point attempt proved to be the most costly play of the game.
Golden State Warriors
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors falling to 47-25 on the season, and 2-6 when Curry doesn't play.
Where's Wiggins?
This is a recurring question, and time is running out. Wiggins wore a sleeve on his left leg and was listed as probable coming into Tuesday's game with a left knee contusion. That deserves to be noted, but it doesn't excuse his constant disappearing act.
On the Warriors' first possession, they passed the ball once, Wiggins dribbled around and missed a fadeaway 13-footer jumper. Not ideal.
In the first half, Wiggins went 1-for-8 from the field, scored three points and was a minus-14. He finished with 13 points while going 5-for-19 from the field and was a minus-7.
Yes, he came into the game hobbled and has had to go against bigger bodies than the Warriors would like, but Wiggins now has scored 20 points only once since Feb. 1. The last time Wiggins faced the Magic, back on Dec. 6, Wiggins scored 28 points and made a season-high eight 3-pointers.
That same player simply didn't show up in Orlando.
Kuminga, Porter Jr. Lead The Bench Mob
For the second straight game, Jonathan Kuminga and Porter gave the Warriors the exact spark they needed off the bench. Kuminga made his first five attempts from the field and was Golden State's only player with double-digit points in the first half. He scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, was a game-high plus-7 and went 6-for-8 from the field.
The most eye-opening part of Kuminga's game was seeing him display a tight handle and use that to attack the rim. He already is one of the best athletes in the NBA. If he can use that kind of improved dribble to pull up or drive to the hoop, it's game over for the rest of the league.
However, the one downside to his game was committing five fouls, an issue he'll have to continue working on.
Then there's Porter, who Kerr often refers to as the "perfect Warrior." He was a game-changer vs. the Spurs, despite the loss, with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and again gave the Warriors a great performance in Orlando. Just look at this sequence that gave the Warriors their first lead of the night.
Porter scored 14 points to go with 15 rebounds over 26 minutes. It was his fourth double-double of the season and the second time in his career he has done so in back-to-back games.
The Reality
Including Tuesday night's game in Orlando, eight of the Warriors' final 11 regular-season games are on the road and they have four back-to-backs. That begins Wednesday night in Miami. After falling to the Magic, the Warriors will go from facing the worst team in the East to the best when they battle the Heat.
Golden State still has games against the Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. All will be played without Curry.
It's not a secret how great the Warriors are in the third quarter, but their start to games and ongoing issues in the fourth quarter have to stop. If they don't, they'll tumble down the standings -- all while improving Curry's MVP case.
That's the reality we're in right now.