Golden State Warriors vs Orlando Magic Game Player Stats and Box Scores for March 27, 2024
The Golden State Warriors continued to trudge through a five-game road swing with a stop at the Kia Center to face the Orlando Magic. Golden State took on the young Orlando team less than 24 hours removed from a 113-92 drubbing of the undermanned Miami Heat. The "Dubs" could be in for a tougher challenge after the quick turnaround.
Steph Curry and Co. played like a more well-rested team than their hosts. They zoomed to a 27-11 first-quarter advantage behind the near-flawless execution of their offense. The Bay Area team also took advantage of a couple of unforced errors by the Magic to build the lead.
The Magic fought back in the second quarter behind Paolo Banchero, Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter Jr. They slowly crawled back into the game by making superb plays on both sides of the ball. Still, the "Dubs" took a 45-37 lead after the first 24 minutes ended.
The Orlando Magic mounted several mini-runs in the third period but the Golden State Warriors had an answer to every one of them. Anthony had several forceful end-to-end drives to the basket that forced the visitors' defense to buckle. When Orlando's shooting guard didn't score, he picked up fouls with his determined rim attacks.
The Magic edged the Warriors 29-27 but they still held a 72-66 lead with a full quarter left to play.
The fourth quarter turned into the Andrew Wiggins show as he dumped 13 of his 23 points in the period to keep Orlando at bay. Cole Anthony responded with nine but he missed two crucial threes late in the game.
Steph Curry was held scoreless in the final period until he scored a layup with 1:05 remaining to push the Warriors' lead to 98-93. A possession later, he hit a dagger 3-pointer to make it 101-93.
The Golden State Warriors survived Jonathan Kuminga's absence, Draymond Green's early ejection and the back-to-back schedule. The well-rested Orlando Magic, who last played four nights ago, had no one but themselves to blame. Palo Banchero did not step up when his team badly needed him.
Golden State Warriors vs Orlando Magic game player stats and box scores
Golden State Warriors game player stats
Orlando Magic game player stats
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Paolo Banchero's 3-pointers tonight
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson posted identical 3-point numbers on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. Both had 3-for-8 clips from behind the arc in Golden State's winning effort.
Paolo Banchero's horrendous night versus the Warriors was most evident in his 3-point shooting. He missed all but one of his seven trifectas in the loss.