Curry Scores 41 as Warriors Beat Magic in OT

Stephen Curry scored 12 points in the final two and a half minutes of regulation, then hit a go-ahead three-point play with 1:38 left in overtime and a floater with 54 seconds to go. That was enough for the Golden State Warriors to beat the Orlando Magic 126-119 at Chase Center on Saturday night. Curry finished with 41 points on 13-of-19 shooting, 5 of 10 from three and 10 of 10 at the line, per the Magic’s official recap.

Golden State has now won seven straight after an 0-3 start and sits at 7-3. NBA.com noted the Warriors are the first team to win seven in a row after losing their first three since the 1950-51 Celtics.

Orlando Almost Stole It

The Magic did a lot right. They grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, turned them into 33 second-chance points, and forced 19 Golden State turnovers. Playing without Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane, they still got up 113 shots, tied for the most in franchise history, to the Warriors’ 80.

Jamal Cain sent it to overtime with a putback layup with two seconds left in regulation, finishing with his first career double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds. Franz Wagner was terrific with 30 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Anthony Black left in overtime with a cramp.

Curry Did Not Even Start Overtime

Here is the strange part. Curry and Draymond Green opened the extra period on the bench because Curry is on what he called a “minute watch,” and he played a bit under 36 minutes. The unit on the floor gave Golden State a lead over that first 90 seconds, then Curry checked in and closed it. He had 19 points across the fourth quarter and overtime.

Efficiency won it. Both teams made 43 field goals, but Golden State shot 54 percent and 47 percent from three while Orlando shot 38 percent and 33 percent from deep. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg added 23 points and eight rebounds and guarded Wagner late. Brandin Podziemski chipped in 15.

Another Line in the Record Book

This was Curry’s 16th 40-point game after turning 35, passing LeBron James for the most ever, and it tied him with Oscar Robertson for the eighth-most 40-point games in NBA history. It was also the fifth time he has scored 40 or more against the Magic. At 38, he is averaging 31.3 points a game.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Stephen Curry points in Golden State’s next game. He scored 41 on just 19 shots and took over the closing minutes of both regulation and overtime. The contingency is the minute watch: if the Warriors trim his floor time again, lean on his made threes rather than a big points total.