Forgetting 3 lackluster matches that led to 3 consecutive defeats, Stephen Curry has regained his inspiration and usual scoring form in the match against the Orlando Magic this morning (January 3).
And when the “chef” rediscovers the joy of playing football, the Golden State Warriors team will definitely benefit.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points with 4 steals and 6 assists, including about 5 minutes of extreme sublimation in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic.
This win helped Golden State stop the 3-game losing streak that lasted since the NBA Christmas Game, and also brought the Warriors (record 16-17) closer to a position in the top-10 in the West.
Orlando Magic (record 19-14) is not an easy opponent, but the 5th ranked team in the East was conquered by 13 consecutive points that Curry directly scored or assisted in the 4th quarter.
This was a competition where both sides continuously fought back and forth in the first two rounds, then the Warriors were better in the third round to create an 8-point advantage.
Entering the final half, Orlando took advantage of Stephen Curry’s few minutes of rest to close the gap, bringing the match back into balance. Just returning to the field, the “chef” opened a personal scoring streak of 5-0 and had 2 consecutive assists for Klay Thompson and Kuminga.
This series of points helped Golden State enter the final 2 minutes and 29 seconds of the match with a 9-point advantage, thereby winning the final score 121-115.
“As usual, Steph always brings us amazement “, head coach Steve Kerr said about Stephen Curry in the fourth quarter as well as the whole match.
“The way he attracts his marker in attack and constantly makes the opponent’s defense have to change. This allows Steph to freely take charge, sometimes creating assists for teammates, sometimes scoring points herself.
This is a very important match for us and Steph understands that. The way he overcame recent lackluster matches to explode today was truly outstanding.”
After 3 matches with a below-average FG rate (19-61 FG, 31%), today Curry made a strong comeback with 12-20 FG (60%), 44.4% 3PT to score 36 points in 35 minutes. minutes of play.
Besides the “chef” there were 19 points and 4 assists from Jonathan Kuminga and 15 points from Klay Thompson. All of the Warriors’ starting players scored at least 10 points and 2 assists.
On the other side of the front line, young talent Paolo Banchero scored 27 points with 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Franz Wagner contributed 25 points and 6 assists. However, this effort was not enough when the Orlando Magic encountered too many turnovers (17 TO in the whole match).
This result brings the Golden State Warriors “closer to the ground” with 16 victories and 17 defeats since the beginning of the season. Counting only the matches without Draymond Green due to suspension, the Warriors have a win rate of exactly 50% (9 -9).
Updating more about Green, head coach Steve Kerr said he and the team still maintain contact with the suspended striker, but no one has an answer about when Draymond will return.
“ We are letting him work with experts, giving Green some space. He did the same thing, quietly watching the team while solving his own problems “, the Warriors captain added.
Victory over the Orlando Magic will be a huge morale boost for the Golden State Warriors, preparing for two matches in two consecutive days against two opponents with contrasting performances.
First, Curry and his teammates will face the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Friday morning (January 5). The next day, they will meet the team with the longest losing streak in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons, on Saturday morning (January 6).