Five matches, five defeats! This is the record of the Warriors outside this season, and the NBA champions are even unable to win in Orlando, dead last in the Eastern Conference! A defeat of a small point (130-129), after a final failure from Klay Thompson, yet author of his best game of the season. It’s the sixth loss in nine games for Golden State, and once again it’s the bench that has weighed down the team.
Because the holders had placed the team on the right track with an 11-0 to take a 10-point lead. Thompson puts in, Kevon Looney dominates in the paint, and Stephen Curry does Stephen Curry. But as soon as Steve Kerr opens his bench, it’s a disaster… The Magic sign a 10-0 with Franz Wagner and Chuma Okeke at the finish. After twelve minutes, everything has to be redone for the Warriors (30-30).
Klay Thompson misses the winning shot
The following ? Same scenario, as soon as Curry is on the field, everything is fine. He scored 11 points at the end of the first half and Golden State joined the locker room with a 12-point lead (65-53). Back from the locker room, Klay Thompson takes over, and the gap reaches 16 points (78-62). And then, as in the first quarter, the rotations break the dynamic. The substitutes do not defend, and the Magic revolts to register 21 points in four minutes! Paolo Banchero sounds the charge, and only Curry, left on the ground, floats.
Through RJ Hampton, the Magic signed a 10-2 in the middle of the 4th quarter to take an eight-point lead (112-104). It’s Looney who holds the house and keeps the Warriors afloat (115-114). Curry resumes his festival, and he restores the advantage to his people at the start of “money time” (120-119). The end game is suffocating with Curry against the rest of the world. He puts his three throws to keep this small advantage (123-122), but behind he loses a ball. Jalen Suggs penalizes him to give the Magic a four-point lead (130-126) with 30 seconds remaining. Kerr tries everything for everything with Poole and Ty Jerome on the field. It’s Thompson who brings his own to a small point (130-129). Banchero loses the ball behind! The Warriors have five seconds to score the winning basket. It’s Thompson who sticks to it, but he misses it. The Warriors lose for the 6th time in nine games…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The rebound battle. For one quarter, the Warriors dominated in the paint with a Looney on tap and offensive rebounds. And then nothing … This team lacks desire and aggressiveness, and the contrast was striking with young Magic who jumped everywhere.
– The Warriors’ catastrophic defense. The lack of aggressiveness on the rebound is also found in defense with only five interceptions for the Warriors, who collect 130 points! As the Warriors defend badly (even Draymond Green…), they make mistakes. 32 in total to offer 46 free throws to Magic players! Like a Poole or a Wiseman, there is no desire in rotations or in one-on-one situations. And when you leave Okeke for five minutes to calmly take his 3-point shots, it ruins all the lead taken so far…
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Jalen Suggs. His best game in the NBA with 26 points and 9 assists, and we found the Suggs of Gonzaga, who is not afraid to take the important shots. His “money time” is a model of its kind, and yet he had to respond to the “Splash Brothers”.
✅ Stephen Curry. Clearly, he has nothing to reproach himself for. He plays 38 minutes and it’s too much, but Steve Kerr has no choice. Firstly because its leader plays remarkably well, but also because the team no longer resembles anything as soon as he leaves…
✅ The Magic Bench. It was the substitutes who woke up the team with Okeke in the first quarter or Hampton in the second half. With a lot of injuries, there is game time to recover and confidence to garner.
⛔️ James Wiseman. He’s a ghost… He’s been making almost more mistakes than points for several matches. Admittedly, he has not played for 18 months, but he weighs down his team with his naivety in defense and his lack of commitment.
THE FOLLOWING
– Magic (2-7) : Kings reception Saturday night
– Warriors (3-6) : back-to-back Friday night against the Pelicans
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