ORLANDO, Fla. – Jalen Suggs scored nine of his 26 points in the final two minutes, and the Orlando Magic rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Golden State Warriors 130-129 on Thursday night, handing the defending NBA champions their fourth straight loss.
Stephen Curry had 39 points and nine assists for the Warriors. Klay Thompson added 27 points, but missed a 12-foot jumper at the buzzer after the Magic trapped Curry.
Recommended Videos
The Warriors fell to 0-5 on the road and 3-6 overall, and Coach Steve Kerr said it's time for some changes.
“We’ve had nine games now so we’ve had a decent look at combinations, so it’s time to try something different,” Kerr said. “Everybody’s going to get a chance to play. We’ve got to find combinations that click.”
Draymond Green, who fouled out with 31.5 seconds left in the game, said the problems were on the defensive end.
“When you’re 3-6, you have to look at everything,” he said. “But I’ll say this again, it’s our defense. We’re not defending at the level it takes to win games.”
Rookie Paolo Banchero had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Magic, who shot 53.8% from the field and won for only the second time this season. But the numbers that bothered Kerr the most were free throws: 46 for Orlando, 15 for Golden State.
“It’s just really hard to win an NBA game by giving up 46 free throws,” he said. “Even when we were up 16, it didn’t seem right because we were giving up layups left and right, fouling. You could feel it. Give them credit. We’re going to take everybody’s best shot and we got their best shot tonight.”
Franz Wagner finished with 19 points and Chuma Okeke came off the bench for 16. The Magic scored 77 points in the second half, 16 of them by Suggs, who also had four steals — one of them from Curry in the final minute.
“I’ve had a lot of fun moments. This definitely is one of them,” Suggs said. “This is definitely towards the top.”
The Warriors led 73-57 after a couple of 3-pointers by Thompson midway through the third quarter. Wagner answered with a 3-pointer and Banchero scored 12 points in the remainder of the period to help Orlando reduce the lead to 98-96 entering the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer by R.J. Hampton put the Magic up 113-104 with 7:20 remaining, but Curry scored seven straight points to get the Warriors back in it.
TIP-INS
Warriors: The Warriors have lost five straight in Orlando, last winning here on Dec. 1, 2017. ... A decision on whether to withhold players from Friday night's game at New Orleans, the team's second road back-to-back in seven days, will be based on Thursday night's minutes, according to coach Steve Kerr. Thompson did not play Sunday at Detroit. ... G/F Andre Iguodala (hip) and G Donte DiVincenzo (hamstring) remained inactive.
Magic: The Magic enjoyed a 45-23 advantage in bench scoring.. ... G Terrence Ross (knee) missed his first game of the season. G Cole Anthony sat out a fourth game with a torn right oblique. ... G Markelle Fultz (fractured toe) has yet to play this season and is not practicing yet.
BIG MAGIC
The Magic started a lineup that averages 6-foot-9.8 inches per man, compared to the Warriors' 6-foot-6.2. “It's a massive team,” Kerr said. “It might be the biggest team I've ever seen.”
UP NEXT
Warriors: At New Orleans on Friday.
Magic: Host Sacramento on Saturday.
——————-