Orlando Magic Grades: Golden State Warriors 118, Orlando Magic 98
The Orlando Magic caught the Golden State Warriors off guard in the first half, but a lights-out shooting third quarter buried the Magic.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Warriors | 28 | 22 | 42 | 26 | 118 |
| Magic | 22 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 98 |
The Orlando Magic had a window to attack the Golden State Warriors before they woke up and started clicking. And they could not take advantage of it.
The run was inevitable.
In what was seen as a potential trap game for the best team in the NBA, the Warriors came out a bit out of sync at the start and the Magic played with high energy. The Magic seemed to have maximum effort and attention against the league’s best team.
Orlando forced a lot of turnovers at the start, opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The team looked to have the potential for an upset.
Then, at halftime, the Warriors woke up. Specifically, Stephen Curry put on a show shooting the ball, as he has so often.
The Magic were outscored 42-24 in the third quarter after being tied at halftime. Golen State went on a 22-6 run to take control and Stephen Curry scored 16 points in the quarter, making four 3-pointers. The game was over by then.
The Magic shot 42 of 96 from the field (43.8 percent), 7 for 28 from three (25.0 percent) and 7 for 16 from the line (43.8 percent). The Magic had 25 assists on 42 field goals.
It was not enough to keep pace with the Warriors. The final score was about what you would expect in an average game when a team with a +13.1 point differential per game faces a team with a -5.1 point differential per game.
Overall, not a bad showing for a Magic team that has established itself as among the cellar dwellers in the NBA. The Magic did some things right offensively and ended up holding the Warriors to their season average for points.
Elfrid Payton
PG, Orlando Magic
Defensively, he made some decision-making errors and some flashes of sloppy play resulting in bad fouls. But overall he showed effort on that side of the ball. The fact his primary matchup had 27 points is not necessarily a red flag on his personal performance, as Stephen Curry often makes shots that no one in the league can stop.
Payton finished the game with 23 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and two turnovers. He shot 11 for 18 from the field and 1 for 2 from three. Payton has been showing his offensive abilities a bit more often lately. He has been finding ways to combat defenses that play off of him.
Bismack Biyombo
C, Orlando Magic
Offensively, his screening opened up opportunities for teammates, and he made strong cuts to good spots for shot opportunities. He was out of sync sometimes with Mario Hezonja on risky passes, but unexpected passes through defenders are tough for anyone to convert.
He was a beast on the glass, grabbing five offensive rebounds and nine defensive rebounds. Defensively, he gave the Magic the rim protection they needed, blocking three shots and contesting more.
The Warriors counteracted his presence inside by hitting jump shots, as they do so well, but Biyombo displayed the kind of performance the Magic expected from him consistently when they signed him to his big deal this summer. He ended up with 12 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. His positive play was one reason he had 24 minutes while Nikola Vucevic logged only 24 and Serge Ibaka only 21.
Aaron Gordon
SF, Orlando Magic
On the offensive end, he tried to force opportunities that were not there. Golden State would often give him open shots, and he failed to convert on those chances as well. This game showed the issues with assigning Gordon a specific position, and why the Magic may opt to draft another big wing whom coach Frank Vogel could mix and match on both sides of the ball.
Gordon had trouble defending bigger players, as opposed to a smaller star like James Harden who Gordon handled. Offensively, he just did not look like a perimeter scorer or creator, and the Magic tried to force him into those types of plays too often. Gordon ended the game with eight points, three rebounds and five assists. He made just 4 of 14 shots from the field, missing all six 3-pointers. He posted a team-worst -38 plus-minus.
Golden State Warriors
38-6, 1st West
But they shot the ball extremely well, specifically in the third quarter, and the margin of victory could have been more than 20 had they kept their key players in the game for more of the fourth quarter. The Warriors shot 42 for 89 from the field (47.2 percent), shot 19 for 42 from three (45.2 percent) and had 27 assists compared to 18 turnovers.
Some of those shooting stats went down in the fourth when the bench players were in. The Warriors played a strong game but clearly did not have the maximum level of focus and intensity they bring on prime time games.
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