The Warriors set an NBA record with their 45th consecutive home win, earning a 119-113 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Monday night.
The Warriors got back to their winning ways, earning a 119-113 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Monday night. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 41 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 27 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute, while Draymond Green notched 10 assists and nine boards. The victory extends Golden State’s home winning streak to 45 games, setting a new NBA record for the longest such streak in league history. With the win, the Warriors improve to 56-6 on the season.
GAME LEADERS
A day after suffering their worst three-point shooting game of the season, the Warriors had no such problems on Monday night, using their long-range proficiency to overcome the Magic. Stephen Curry got things started off with the first of his seven three-pointers on the night just over two minutes into the game. He’d go on to score Golden State’s next five points before giving way to Klay Thompson, who’s three-pointer at the 6:29 mark of the opening frame put the Warriors up 14-12 and gave them the lead for good. The Dubs would follow up that trey with a 10-0 run to put Orlando in a double-digit deficit. Brandon Rush scored the final five of his eight first quarter points in the final 32 seconds of the frame, giving the Warriors a 31-18 advantage at the end of one.
Orlando would outscore Golden State 12-3 through the first four minutes of the second quarter to cut the deficit to four points, but the Warriors would respond with a 6-0 burst to push their lead to 40-30 halfway through the frame. The two sides would essentially trade baskets through the rest of the half until back-to-back buckets from Curry and Thompson sent the game into halftime with Golden State holding a 59-46 lead.
An 8-2 Golden State run to begin the second half capped by Curry’s three-pointer at the 9:25 mark put the Warriors up 67-48, giving them their largest lead of the entire game. Orlando would respond and outscore Golden State through the rest of the quarter, cutting the deficit in half over the next six minutes. After two Evan Fournier free throws trimmed the deficit to 81-73 with 3:40 left in the frame, the Warriors immediately responded with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to rebuild their lead. Three of those points came by way of Curry’s 300th three-pointer of the season, making him the first player in NBA history to eclipse that milestone. Orlando would score the next five points before Leandro Barbosa’s three-pointer sent the game into the fourth and final quarter with the Warriors leading 94-77.
The Magic would not go away quietly, however. A 15-4 Orlando run to open the quarter cut Golden State’s lead to six points, prompting Steve Kerr to bring Curry and Draymond Green back into the game. Shaun Livingston would score the next four points to push the Warriors’ advantage back to double-digits, but it would only shrink from there. Orlando put together several mini-bursts to close within a few baskets of Golden State, but each time Curry would sink a shot in response, halting their momentum. After Thompson’s jumper put the Dubs up 111-102 with 3:31 remaining, the Magic would score the next seven points to pull within 111-109 with 1:13 left to play. On the ensuing possession, the Warriors found Thompson in the corner with the shot clock winding down, whose fading three-pointer found the bottom of the net and wrestled the momentum back to Golden State’s side. After Andrew Bogut forced a Magic turnover, Curry converted a layup to put the Warriors up 116-109 with less than 45 seconds remaining in the game. That would prove to be all the scoring the Warriors would need, as a few more free throws in the final seconds would close out the eventual 119-113 victory. The win is the Warriors’ 45 consecutive victory at Oracle Arena, establishing a new NBA record for the longest home winning streak in NBA history. The Warriors advance to 56-6 on the season and will look to carry the momentum into their next game when they host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.