SAN FRANCISCO — Orlando Magic players and coaches know what to expect when they face the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Warriors’ arena.
Golden State will move the ball expertly. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will launch 3-pointers. Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Zaza Pachulia will play tough, rugged defense.
And at least once, likely more, the Warriors will go on a potentially decisive run.
The Magic know they’re in for the ultimate test.
“Obviously, when you play the Warriors, especially in Golden State, you want to have a good team performance,” swingman Evan Fournier said. “You want to play the right way, fight, be sharp defensively. And even if we play a really, really good game, we all know that if they start making shots there’s not a lot of things we can do. So we’re going to get in there and fight, give everything and see what happens.”
The surprising Magic (8-5) already have recorded quality road wins this season, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies. But the Warriors (10-3) remain the NBA’s gold standard, the league’s most cohesive team on offense and one of the league’s best teams on defense.
Magic players and coaches think they’re better configured to challenge the Warriors these days. The acquisition of Terrence Ross just before last season’s All-Star break allowed the Magic to shift to a small-ball lineup that pushes the pace with Aaron Gordon at power forward.
“Changing the way that we play midseason last year is the first step in trying to hang with a team like that,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said. “Obviously, they’re playing as well as anyone, the best team in the world and the champs. We’ve got an opportunity to get a great win.”
This season, Gordon and center Nikola Vucevic have improved as 3-point shooters. Their success from long range has spaced the floor and opened driving lanes for their teammates.
Of course, no team stretches the floor better, or pushes the pace more effectively, than the Warriors do.
“That’s kind of what happens when a team wins in this league,” Gordon said.
“You see the winning team and then you try to emulate that formula. Obviously, they’re winning for a reason. They’re good for a reason. Yeah, we like the up-tempo pace. We like the style of play. So we do try and emulate that. But at the end of the day, we’re our own team, we’re our own identity and we’ve got to hold ourselves accountable to our standard.”
The Magic’s results have been better than expected so far. Orlando ranks eighth in the NBA in points scored per possession and second in 3-point shooting percentage.
But the similarities only run so far.
Consider this: The Warriors rank first in points scored per possession and first in 3-point shooting percentage.
And then consider this: The Warriors are ninth in the league in defensive rating, while the Magic are 14th and dropping fast.
“It’s been two or three years now that the Warriors kind of changed the NBA,” Fournier said. “Everyone is trying to fit in and play like the Warriors: play ball-handlers on the floor, guys that can shoot, that can pass, that can cut and just having a better rhythm and a better tempo. Moving A.G. to the 4 spot changed a lot of things for us. But we are totally different. They are really more into cuts, splits, all that stuff. We don’t really run that. So there are similarities, but we’re still a lot different.”
Magic point guard Elfrid Payton will play tonight, Vogel said. Team officials held Payton out of Saturday night’s dismal loss in Denver to protect his tender left hamstring on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Warriors have listed Curry as questionable to play because of a right thigh contusion. Curry didn’t participate in Golden State’s shootaround this morning, and a team official said a decision on Curry’s status will be made closer to tipoff.
Forward Jonathan Isaac will not play tonight because he has a sprained right ankle. Point guard D.J. Augustin, who has a strained left hamstring, won’t play either.
A victory tonight likely would be the Magic’s most impressive win of the season.
“We’re taking all action,” Gordon said. “We want all action. So Monday night, come gametime we’ll be ready.”
Orlando Magic at Golden State Warriors
WHERE: Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif. WHEN: 10:30 p.m.
BROADCAST: TV — Fox Sports Florida. RADIO — 580 AM (WDBO). SPANISH BROADCAST — 98.1 FM (WNUE).
THE BUZZ: The Warriors are on a six-game winning streak and are 9-1 over their last 10 games. … Durant and Curry lead the team in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game apiece. Thompson is close behind, at 21.1 points per game. … Golden State leads the league in 3-point shooting (41.5 percent), while Orlando ranks second (40.6 percent). … The Magic are 1-1 on their West Coast road trip. … The Magic have lost eight consecutive games to the Warriors.
jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
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![Through two games against the Magic, the Cavs average the most first-quarter points (31.5) among all playoff teams. "For us, we've just got to get off to a better start [and] not let them get off to this hot start," Orlando guard Cole Anthony said.](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Magic-Cavaliers-Basketball-14.jpg?w=525 "Through two games against the Magic, the Cavs average the most first-quarter points (31.5) among all playoff teams. \"For us, we've just got to get off to a better start [and] not let them get off to this hot start,\" Orlando guard Cole Anthony said.")
