This was exactly what the Warriors needed.
After struggling in every game since Kevin Durant’s knee injury on Feb. 28, Golden State (53-14) blew the doors off the weak Orlando Magic 122-92 at Oracle Thursday night, putting together their most dominant performance in over a month.
Klay Thompson was especially fantastic, dropping 29 points and going 12-of-20 from the field. Curry continued to struggle from deep (2-for-9) but scored 25 of his own, marking the 17th time both players have eclipsed 20 in a game this season.
Andre Iguodala had one of his best and most energetic games of the season, scoring 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, adding six rebounds, three assists and five dunks. Orlando’s (24-44) abysmal shooting helped, with the Magic hitting just six threes and shooting 36.6 percent from the field.
The game started off with a scare. Just over a minute in, Curry limped into the locker room after landing on the foot of Magic point guard Elfrid Payton, appearing to tweak his right ankle.
Curry limping into the locker room. Never ideal. pic.twitter.com/p9MyIhfCvU
— Ahmed Fareed (@AhmedFareedCSN) March 17, 2017
Steph turned his ankle and headed to the locker room shortly after. pic.twitter.com/hDLCZS4zeu
— Warriors Talk (@JaeAzizi) March 17, 2017
Luckily, Curry returned to the game after about 10 minutes of real time, alleviating fears of a worst case scenario where the Warriors would have to close the season without their two best players.
Once the panic subsided, the pendulum swung in the other direction, as Thompson electrified the Oracle Crowd by dropping 21 points in the first nine minutes, hitting his first five three pointers. Thompson outscored the entire Magic team in the first quarter.
Klay gets his third 20-point quarter of the season ? pic.twitter.com/imFmWW7NZN
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 17, 2017
When the smoke cleared after the first 12 minutes, Golden State led 34-20, completing their most commanding first quarter since they outscored the Bulls by 13 on Feb. 8.
Curry started the second quarter, a rarity for him, likely because he missed time in the first, and a clear indication that his trip to the locker room was nothing more than precautionary.
The Warriors roaring start seemed to affect the Magic, who had six men on the floor after a timeout early in the second leading to a technical foul. Iguodala also seemed affected by the positive start albeit in a positive sense, making his presence known with two quick dunks, that included finishing an impressive alley-oop via Draymond Green.
Draymond to Andre for the half court lob ? pic.twitter.com/VfaE1kWRCb
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 17, 2017
The second unit as a whole put in their best shift in a while, pushing the lead to 61-33 before the starter heavy unit checked back in. The only downside of the first half was the continuation of Curry’s bizarre shooting woes. The two-time MVP went 0-of-4 from three (including a few wide open looks) in the half. Thompson on the other hand at 27, and the Warriors led 67-50.
Curry made his first three of the night to open the second half, banking it in to beat the shot clock. Iguodala continued to look 10 years younger, throwing down three more dunks after checking in mid-way through the quarter.
By the fourth, the game was a laugher, with Golden State leading 103-71, and the starters earning a fourth quarter rest for the first time in recent memory. They’re now one game up on the Spurs for the top seed in the West.
The Warriors wrap up their three game home stand on Saturday, hosting the Milwaukee Bucks (33-34) at 7:30 p.m.
