Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) reacts after being fouled by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half in Orlando on Thu Nov 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Lose Fourth Game In a Row To The Magic 130-129

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the Golden State Warriors (3-6) lost to the Orlando Magic (2-7) and were looking for their first road win of the season they didn’t get it dropping their fourth straight game in a row 130-129 in Orlando.

It has been an extremely difficult road trip for the team. Golden State who looked to defend without fouling up something that has just not happened in this stretch. Limiting the turnovers would also be beneficial. Quality road trips is the sign of a great team. The Warriors have not looked anything like a great team that they used to be on this road trip.

Thursday game recap: Klay Thompson got the first quarter going in a big way with three from downtown grabbing a 16-8 lead for the Warriors. The turnovers began to cause a lot of problem as the quarter wore on and the lead that Golden State had built began to evaporate. After the first 12 minutes the score was tied at 30.

By the end of the second quarter the Warriors had built a double digit lead 65-53. Golden State had a great quarter. They pushed that lead with good offense and good defensive. They forced turnovers and had second chance points, doing all of this with some Warrior-like hustle and scrappiness. The splash brothers had a great first half, both going four of eight from downtown while the Magic had trouble shooting from the paint. As it turned out this would be a tale of two halves.

In the third quarter Thompson picked up where he left off in the first half shooting a couple of three’s in the first two minutes of play. The Warriors had their largest lead of the game with 9:22 left in the quarter 75-60. The Magic fought but continued to trail by double digits. Orlando continue to pick away and with less than two minutes left the Warriors suffered a disasterous sequence. James Wiseman had a shooting foul, a technical giving Orlando the chance for a possible four points. Going into the fourth quarter the Warriors were hanging onto a 98-96 lead.

The Warriors had a terrible start to the fourth quarter committing three fouls inside of one minute. The Magic took the lead 108-104 with 8:20 left in the game. Orlando had been sixteen down and with the lead they were looking to win their second game of the season at the expense of the Warriors. The frustration began to boil over when Head Coach Steve Kerr was called for a technical. With 3:27 on the clock the Warriors had pulled to within one point 117-116. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green were both playing with five fouls.

This game was absolute torture tied at 126 with 43 seconds. The Magic took the lead 130-126 with 31 seconds left. Green had fouled out and it was a two score game. The Warriors pulled to within one point when Thompson hit a three. The Warriors ended the game with possession and 4.9 seconds but fell short losing 130-129 in a nightmare game.

Every team that has played the Warriors on this road trip has played to a new level. 31 more free throws for the Magic makes it pretty tough to win under any circumstances. The Magic hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket. So the Warriors have their fourth loss in a row.

Two turnovers by Golden State in the final minute and 31 Magic free throws shut this whole thing down. The third and fourth quarters were horrendous. Stephen Curry finished with 39 points, Thompson with 27, Looney with 17 and Andrew Wiggins with 15; surely good enough to win any game had it not been for those 31 free throws and turnovers. The Warriors made 19 three’s and shot at 51% and still lost.

It doesn’t get any better for the Warriors taking on the New Orleans Pelicans in the “Big Easy” tomorrow night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 as the Warriors are looking to break a stunning losing streak.