Magic-Warriors Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Dec 03 2012 1:10AM

The Golden State Warriors never won four straight games in coach Mark Jackson's first season.

Stephen Curry and the surprising Warriors have the opportunity to accomplish the feat in year two under Jackson on Monday night when they host the Orlando Magic.

Jackson's first season as an NBA coach was a difficult one as Golden State (10-6) finished with the Western Conference's third-worst record in the franchise's fourth straight losing campaign. It's been a different story in 2012-13, with his club tied with the Clippers atop the Pacific Division.

"We're learning how to finish ballgames, we're learning how to execute," Jackson said. "We're learning how to value possessions, and we're learning how to defend."

Curry has scored exactly 20 points in each game of this win streak, posting back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since his rookie season. He had a season-high 11 assists in Saturday's 103-92 win over Indiana.

"He's playing on a level that we thought he would play at," Jackson said. "Leading his team, making plays down the stretch, defending - it's great to see."

Klay Thompson has averaged 22.3 points in the last three games after he had 22 on Saturday. He's shooting 46.7 percent over his last five contests after shooting 33.3 percent over his first 11.

David Lee, averaging 19.4 points on 55.4 percent shooting at home, is also sensing a different attitude. The forward is in his eighth overall season, having never played for a winning team.

"We've played very well and we've had a couple great wins in a row," Lee said. "I feel like everyone is playing their role."

The Warriors are also seeking their first six-game home streak since the 2006-07 season.

The last time Golden State played Orlando (6-10), Dwight Howard set an NBA record with 39 free-throw attempts and had 45 points and 23 rebounds in a 117-109 road victory Jan. 12 that was the Magic's sixth in seven tries in this series.

Orlando played its first game against Howard and emerged with a 113-103 road victory over the Lakers on Sunday. Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 30 points as the Magic snapped a three-game slide.

"The way we lost the past three games, I'm sure our fans just wanted to see us win in general," said Afflalo, averaging a team-high 15.6 points. "But for us to kick-start this road trip by playing well, against the Lakers in particular, they should be proud of that. It's a huge confidence boost for us."

Glen Davis had 23 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double. Davis is averaging a career-high 15.3 points as he has tried to shoulder the bulk of the inside scoring load with Howard gone.

"Glen was extremely focused," Afflalo said. "That was his position. He's done an amazing job all year long."

Jameer Nelson had 19 points and 13 assists after nearly sitting out with tendinitis that forced him to miss Friday's 98-86 defeat against Brooklyn.

The Magic are 0-2 when playing the second half of games on consecutive nights, averaging 73.5 points on 36.4 percent shooting in those defeats.

The Warriors are 4-0 against Eastern Conference foes - all at home.

Magic outlast Warriors 102-94 for 2nd straight win

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Dec 04 2012 2:04AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) If this season for the Orlando Magic is about learning how to do things without Dwight Howard, finding motivation is no longer one of them.

Glen Davis and Arron Afflalo scored 24 points apiece, and the Magic outlasted the Golden State Warriors 102-94 on Monday night for their second straight victory.

A night after an emotional win against the former franchise center and his Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando outscored Golden State 33-25 in the fourth quarter to pull away. J.J. Redick had 10 of his 22 points in the final period and Nikola Vucevic finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds to help the Magic begin their five-game West Coast trip 2-0.

"It was a great win for us. For the most part, I think we played as hard and with as much energy as we did (Sunday) night, which is saying a lot," Redick said. "(Sunday) night was an emotional night, (tonight's) a back-to-back, there was a natural tendency to let down, so it really says a lot about our group."

Stephen Curry had 25 points and 11 assists and David Lee added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who were going for their first four-game winning streak under coach Mark Jackson. Instead, they had their five-game home winning streak snapped as they head on the road for a season-long seven-game trip.

"We looked like we were the team that played on a back-to-back," Lee said. "And they came out with more energy and beat us at all five positions."

The laboring Magic managed to outhustle and outmuscle the well-rested Warriors when - and where - it mattered most.

Orlando outscored Golden State 48-36 in the paint. The Magic grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and had 18 second-chance points.

During the final surge, Redick made a short jumper and a 3-pointer to cap a 10-2 run that put the Magic ahead 82-74 early in the fourth. After Curry connected from beyond the arc, Davis' layup over Lee started a three-point play and an avalanche of Orlando offense.

Vucevic's dunk highlighted the spurt and lifted the Magic to a 98-84 lead that put the game out of reach. Golden State has not won four straight since January 2011, when Keith Smart was still the coach.

"Very impressed," new Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "That was the challenge that we had in front of us tonight, of not hanging our heads on (Sunday's) win but coming out focused and approaching this game as the next game on our road trip. Guys did an incredible job with the focus and aggression at the beginning of the game."

The Magic made up for a sluggish start in a little more than a second.

Vucevic converted a driving layup over Jarrett Jack to start a three-point play. With 1.8 seconds left in the first quarter, Afflalo deflected Carl Landry's inbounds pass to Davis, who made a 22-footer at the buzzer to put Orlando ahead 28-27.

"They were coming off a big win last night, and they didn't sit on it," Jackson said. "They came here and won a ballgame. They didn't steal it. They won it. Now how are we going to respond?"

The Warriors always seemed to be playing from behind - and it even worked sometimes.

Harrison Barnes blocked Afflalo's layup from behind against the backboard. Klay Thompson dribbled upcourt and finished with a pull-up jumper to give Golden State a 56-55 lead about halfway through the third quarter. Redick scored seven points during an 8-0 run for the Magic before Thompson made a 3-pointer and Landry converted a three-point play to send the game to the fourth quarter tied 69-all.

The Warriors went with a smaller lineup in the fourth, and the Magic shredded them.

"The problem with staying small is then you start getting into junk defense and switches and maybe you lose your man," Redick said. "I think that actually helped us. They were always having to put someone small on Glen and that created a lot of problems, where we were able to get into some drive and kicks, guys hit some 3s. It opened things up for us."

NOTES: The Warriors are 6-3 at home and 4-4 on the road. ... The Magic play at Utah on Wednesday night. Utah drafted Vaughn 27th overall out of Kansas in 1997. ... The Warriors recalled F/C Jeremy Tyler from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Tyler had five points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal in 29 minutes of Santa Cruz's 95-79 victory at Reno on Sunday.

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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Notebook: Magic 102, Warriors 94

Geoff Lepper, For NBA.com
Posted Tue Dec 04, 2012 2:22 AM - Updated Tue Dec 04, 2012 2:22 AM

THE FACTS: Glen Davis and Arron Afflalo each scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 102-94 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

J.J. Redick tallied 10 of his 22 points in final period, when the Magic (7-10) outscored the Warriors 33-25 and led by as many as 14 points. Orlando has opened 2-0 on a five-game Western swing.

Stephen Curry notched a game-high 25 points for the Warriors (10-7), along with 11 assists for his third consecutive game with at least 20 and 10, respectively, in those categories. The loss broke Golden State's five-game winning streak at Oracle Arena, just before the Warriors leave on a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season.

QUOTABLE: "[We have] been talking about not turning the ball over, making the easy pass and rebounding the basketball. When these things create wins and a positive atmosphere for us to live in, then I think it makes the guys feel good."

-- Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn

THE STAT: Golden State held the Magic to 43.5 percent shooting from the floor, but created just eight turnovers, a mark that ties for the season-low by a Warriors opponent. Orlando forced 14 miscues by the hosts, and beat Golden State 23-10 in terms of points off turnovers.

TURNING POINT: Coming off an emotional win Sunday against the Lakers and former Magic star Dwight Howard, Vaughn did a sterling job of distributing his team's workload during the first three quarters Monday. That kept big men Davis and Nikola Vucevic fresh for the fourth quarter, when they tore apart a Warriors club that stubbornly stuck to a small lineup. The setup left Carl Landry, Draymond Green or even, down the stretch, Jarrett Jack trying to defend larger men on the low block. Orlando finished with 48 points in the paint, 14 in the fourth quarter. On the night, Vucevic had 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

QUOTABLE II: "The problem with staying small is then you start getting into junk defense and switches and maybe you lose your man. I think that actually helped us. They were always having to put someone small on Glenn [Davis] and that created a lot of problems, where we were able to get into some drive and kicks, guys hit some 3s. It opened things up for us."

-- J.J. Redick

HOT: Davis slumped after a season-opening 29 points, but has come to life in California. In addition to the 24 points, he had six boards, four assists and a pair of blocks. Davis' drive and kick out to E'Twaun Moore for a 3-pointer with 9:58 remaining gave Orlando the lead for good, and he was singled out for praise from Vaughn.

QUOTABLE III: "He's growing as a player. Just because you have 'X' amount of years in the league doesn't mean you can't get better and grow as a player. I think he's seeing the floor better, his shots are coming and they're coming unforced. And, at the same time, he's becoming a great passer."

-- Jacque Vaughn, on Davis

NOT: Klay Thompson, who missed his final nine shots in the Warriors' previous game, had a rough night from the floor again, going 3-for-12.

ROOKIE WATCH: Warriors forward Harrison Barnes had nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. One of the swats was a stupendous chase-down-from-behind job on Afflalo, who was stuffed by Golden State on back-to-back fast break attempts.

NOTABLE: David Lee had his sixth 20-point game of the season with 22, but fell short of another double-double with nine rebounds. ... The Warriors had been bidding to sweep a homestand of at least four games for the first time since 1992. ... This is Orlando's first win of the season while completing a back-to-back situation. ... The Magic are 3-0 against Pacific Division opponents.

UP NEXT: For the Magic, Wednesday @ Utah, Friday @ Sacramento, Sunday @ Phoenix. For the Warriors, Wednesday @ Detroit, Friday @ Brooklyn, Saturday @ Washington.

• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu
• Warriors: Bogut, Rush

• Magic: --
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #42 Eric Lewis, #39 Brenda Pantoja
• Attendance: 18117
• Duration: 2:07