The Magic take down the Warriors

The Orlando Magic (20-53) bested the Golden State Warriors (47-25) on Tuesday, winning 94-90.

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1506443755968241666

The Magic, now, will have a quick turnaround as they play the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night.

Future Shining Bright for the Magic

Orlando fielded a very youthful lineup against the Warriors on Tuesday. The oldest player in its starting lineup was Mo Bamba at 23 years old. For the Magic, they were led by Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner. Carter Jr. led all Magic players with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Wagner finished slightly behind him with 18 points, three assists and two steals.

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1506429370222751745

Lastly, Anthony ended with 14 points. Anthony also assisted on five shots and grabbed five rebounds.

In addition to these performers, Chuma Okeke, had a productive outing off the bench. Okeke scored eight points, five rebounds and four assists in his 25 minutes of action, including this dunk to grab a 10-point lead early in the contest.

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1506416726988230656

Late Game Rally Seals it for the Magic

Orlando led for almost the entire first half and held as much as a 13-point lead against Golden State. Any time the Warriors tried to push their way back into the game the Magic would match their efforts. Nearing the end of the second quarter, Carter Jr. would hit a three-pointer to put Orlando’s lead to eight entering halftime.

Unfortunately for the Magic, they relinquished their lead easily to the Warriors coming out of half. The Warriors cut the lead to just three in a little over a minute. It was not until the 9:51 mark when the Magic scored their first points of the third quarter. And by the 6:40 mark in the third quarter, Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. nailed a three-pointer that gave them their first lead, 55-52, since the first minute of the first quarter.

Otto with the block
Otto with the bucket pic.twitter.com/xaNpSFenuU

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 23, 2022

The Warriors entered the third quarter down eight and turned it into a nine-point lead by the beginning of the fourth.

For the Orlando Magic, this is where the team came alive. In the fourth quarter, Orlando outscored the Warriors 29-16. It did find itself down 14 early, but fortunes would change for it. The Magic went on a 13-0 run, which brought them within one point, 78-79, of the Warriors. From here it became a back-and-forth game until the Magic secured the lead with 52 seconds left from a Bamba three-pointer, giving them the 89-88 lead.

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1506442442383450116

The Magic would then close the game with Franz Wagner scoring the final five points, giving them the 94-90 win.

As a team, Orlando shot 43% from the field and a subpar 27.8% from behind the arc. However, it made 16 free throws on 20 attempts, which is where it won the game. It had nine steals and forced 18 turnovers overall. Additionally, it had six blocks as a team.

For the Warriors, this would not be one of the best nights on offense. One must note that they were missing one of their best players in Steph Curry, but they still have reliable scorers on the team. They shot 40% on the night as a whole and 34.4% from the three. What hurt them slightly was free throws as they made 11 of the 16 attempts. Golden State guard Jordan Poole led the team with 26 points on the night. It also had four other players in double digits points, but it was not enough to get the win.