By John DentonDec. 2, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO – The Orlando Magic get one of the stiffest tests in the NBA tonight when they face the surging Golden State Warriors in noisy Oracle Arena.
It’s a test similar to the one that they received a failing grade on less than a week ago in Orlando.
This time around, the Magic hope they are better prepared for the problems presented by Steph Curry and a Warriors team that hasn’t lost since Nov. 11, has won nine games in a row and thumped Orlando 111-96 the day before Thanksgiving. So Orlando (7-12) will sharpen their pencils, put on their collective thinking caps and try to solve the test that is the Warriors (14-2).
``It’s better this way because you are re-taking a test that you just studied for,’’ Magic center Kyle O’Quinn said. ``So hopefully we use the knowledge that we already have from playing them, plus what the coaches show us from shoot-around and put it all together and try to come up with a game plan to stop those guys.’’
Orlando didn’t stop Curry (28 points), Harrison Barnes (16 points) or Klay Thompson (12 points) much a week ago as Golden state stormed into Orlando and scored 65 points by halftime and 92 through three quarters when it pulled its starters. Curry was virtually unstoppable by hitting nine of 13 shots and six of eight 3-pointers – many of them contested and with a hand in his face. Seeing Curry shoot the ball the way that he did, it was somewhat of an eye-opener for Magic rookie Elfrid Payton – a player known for his gritty, long-armed defense.
``I’ve seen him shoot like that on TV, but I’ve got to do a better job of crowding him and trying to get him off rhythm,’’ Payton said. ``I have to try and give him different looks so that he doesn’t get a rhythm. If he gets a rhythm he can get it going quickly.’’
Payton got things going quickly when he was the first sub off the bench Sunday in Phoenix. His hard-nosed, all-around play keyed a 13-1 run late in the first half and Payton was on the floor for most of the critical moments of Orlando’s 93-90 defeat of the Suns.
That victory was Orlando’s first on the road against a Western Conference team since March 4, 2013, snapping a streak of 18 consecutive losses against those foes outside of the Amway Center. It also gave the Magic five road wins this season – one more than they had all last season. That progress away from home shows the Magic’s growing toughness and leads them to believe that they can go into Oakland tonight and win.
``It was a good win for us and a good team win and now we’ve got to make it a consistent thing on how we play and approach every game,’’ Magic guard Victor Oladipo said. ``We have to make sure that we’re using our defense to create for our offense. That’s why we gave ourselves a chance to win.’’
That defense will be tested against a Golden State team that just whipped all five foes on an East Coast swing. Golden State has the NBA’s most deadly and efficient offense, ranking first in the league in field goal percentage (48.7 percent), 3-point shooting (38.5 percent) and assists (25.8) and third in points scored (107.1 ppg.).
Orlando could catch a major break if Curry is unable to play because of a sprained left ankle. He is listed as questionable after rolling his ankle late in Sunday’s win in Detroit. Curry, who has a history of ankle troubles, ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring (23.8 ppg.) and assists (7.8 apg.). He has more 30-point and 15-assist games since 2013-14 (five) than the rest of the NBA combined (four).
So the Magic are well aware of what they are up against versus a Warriors team that taught them a painful lesson six days ago.
``Especially with the way that they beat us – they smacked us in Orlando – we want to show another phase to our game tonight,’’ Magic guard Evan Fournier said. ``We want to show them that we are a good team and we can play against them. Defensively we have to set the tone and not just let them run and fly around and be smiling when they hit shots. We have to play tougher than them, be more focused and keep playing together.’’