Magic GameNight: Orlando at Golden State (3/11/11)

GameNight SpecificsNBA Coverage: Game InfoDate: Friday, March 11Time: 10:30 p.m.Location: Oracle Arena (OAKLAND, CA)Radio: AM 580 WDBO, AM 1270 WRLZTelevision: FS Florida
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GAME RECAP

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob was in the locker room, smiling and shaking hands with players after watching a 3-point performance like nothing the NBA has ever seen.

"Can we do that every night?" Lacob said, congratulating Monta Ellis at his locker.

Fans in the Bay Area only wish.

Ellis had 39 points and 11 assists, Dorell Wright scored 32 points and the Warriors came back from 21 points down to stun the Orlando Magic 123-120 in overtime Friday night in a wild game that set a new record for most combined 3-pointers made.

"That's an NBA classic right there for sure," said Wright, who was 8 for 11 from long range.

Stephen Curry added 22 points and 12 assists, and the Warriors set a franchise record for 3-pointers made to highlight a furious second-half push that toppled the Magic in thrilling fashion. Golden State finished 21 for 25 from beyond the arc.

Jason Richardson scored 30 points and Jameer Nelson had 24 points in another underwhelming performance for the Magic against an inferior opponent. Orlando was 15 for 32 from long range, making the 36 combined 3-pointers the most in league history.

The previous record was 32 set by Seattle at Phoenix on Jan. 22, 2006.

"If we can't defend the 3-point line any better, we'll get our (butts) kicked again," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

"I think we kind of looked at the scoreboard and figured we were going to be up by 20 and it was going to be a blowout game," Richardson said. "We just didn't finish the game hard in the first half, and in the second half they got a little confidence and went on a run."

The Magic wasted another lead - the same way they did in Sacramento two nights earlier, except they came back to win that one - with a poor defensive effort after the break. And by the time they tried to pull away again, it was just too late.

The Warriors couldn't miss. Neither team could, really.

Orlando went back ahead by five in the fourth quarter when Golden State started another rally. Wright and Curry each made a 3-pointer to give Golden State a 98-94 lead with 1:48 remaining.

The teams traded baskets until Ellis turned the ball over with an errant pass that landed in the hands of Nelson. Orlando rushed up court and a wide-open Hedo Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 8.3 seconds left to tie it.

With a final chance to win it in regulation, Dwight Howard deflected a pick-and-roll pass from Curry, and time expired in the scramble for the ball. The extra period only provided even more drama.

Ellis finished over Turkoglu with a dazzling layup, his back to the basket as he flicked it off the glass and in for a three-point play to help put Golden State ahead by four. The Magic answered over and over with big baskets of their own. Jason Richardson's 3-pointer brought them back within a point.

Down by two in the final minute of overtime, Nelson stole the inbound pass and seemingly converted a layup for a three-point play - but Ellis forced a charging call, then made two free throws to put Golden State ahead by four.

The Magic had one last chance to send it to a second overtime, with Turkoglu and Richardson each missing 3-point attempts in the final seconds before the buzzer sounded, sending confetti falling from the rafters in one of the biggest wins of the season for Golden State.

It was a scene few could've imagined early on.

The Magic turned things into their own personal highlight show in the first half: Howard spun baseline for an alley-oop dunk from Jameer Nelson, Richardson had another, and a flurry of 3-pointers buried the Warriors in a 21-point hole by the second quarter.

All they did from there was blow it.

Golden State came out in the second half with a 27-12 run, going ahead 69-68 on Wright's 3-pointer with 4:28 left in the third quarter. The offensive outpouring had Lacob - who had his father in attendance - out of his courtside seat, high-fiving fans and punching the air in an emphatic celebration.

"We'll shock some people and win some big games like this," Warriors coach Keith Smart said. "But it's still a process to where we can grow this team to where we have a legitimate, contending team every year."

Notes: Magic backup SG J.J. Redick missed the game after he pulled a muscle in his lower abdomen during the team's morning workout. ... Orlando has several ties to Golden State. Richardson and fellow G Gilbert Arenas, and Magic president and general manager Otis Smith and player development pointman Adonal Foyle all once played for the Warriors. Smith also worked in Golden State's management after his playing career. ... A moment of silence was held before the game for victims of a powerful tsunami in Japan that was caused by an earthquake Friday.

COHEN'S ANALYSIS VS. WARRIORS

Friday’s breathtaking contest was like a real-life illustration of the always-popular video game NBA Jam.

While watching, you couldn’t help but envisage some stadium announcer shouting “on fire” and noticing the basketball transforming into flames.

You probably acted out in astonishment at times – raising your hands to your forehead and screaming at the television screen out of either exhilaration or aggravation.

The Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors competed in one of the most remarkable games in NBA history.

Not just because there were immeasurable momentum shifts or a variety of clutch scoring but also because it actually felt imaginary.

Appropriate that the final score differential was three (123-120), the Magic and Warriors set an NBA record for most combined 3-pointers in a game with 36 treys.

Unfortunately for Orlando, Golden State’s 21 connects from long distance proved too menacing as the Warriors handed the Magic an overtime defeat.

"It was an incredible game," Warriors Head Coach Keith Smart said. "Everyone shot the ball well with big play after big play."

There are countless moments and plays that can be dissected, including the controversial charge call on Jameer Nelson after a steal that would have tied the game in overtime, Hedo Turkoglu’s critical game-tying trey in the final seconds of regulation or the collection of missed shots by Orlando to conclude the game.

It’s almost hard to determine whether Golden State’s outside shooting was an aberration or if Orlando’s lack of pressure on the perimeter was the culprit.

Needless to say, the Warriors and specifically Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright were like jugglers somehow managing to toss six bowling pins up in the air simultaneously. And never did one of those pins drop to the floor.

Wright buried eight from beyond the arc and finished with 32 points, while Ellis sunk seven of them and registered 39 points.

"They put on a show in the second half," Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said.

It felt all along like the game would come down to a 3-point shot. On the Magic’s final possession, Turkoglu, who sent the game into OT with a trey with 8.3 seconds left in regulation, fired long from the right wing and Jason Richardson, who drained seven 3-pointers and tallied 30 points against his former team, couldn’t find the range on the last 3-point shot of the game.

Considering Orlando was ahead by 21 in the first half, Friday’s loss was somewhat disappointing. However, any time a team can finish two 3-pointers shy of tying the Magic’s record for most treys in the game, you have to just shake their hands and accept the fact that what transpired was extraordinary.

Other notables from the game: Dwight Howard grabbed 21 rebounds, Turkoglu, who scored a season-best 24 points, collected a career-tying high five steals, Nelson enjoyed another fine performance with 24 points and eight assists and J.J. Redick did not play after straining his abdomen at shootaround earlier in the day.

While Sunday’s game will probably not feature 36 3-pointers, it will likely be just as invigorating considering it will be the first time Orlando and Phoenix collide since the two teams completed a blockbuster trade in December.
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