OAKLAND, Calif. – Stephen Curry made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Orlando Magic 98-97 on Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.
In the most dramatic finish in their streak to date, Curry sprinted up court and lost Tobias Harris with some crafty dribbling before pulling up to swish the shot. Curry shook his shoulders and pounded his chest as the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roared at noisy Oracle Arena.
Draymond Green deflected Kyle O’Quinn’s pass to Harris on Orlando’s last possession.
Curry finished with 22 points and five assists, and Klay Thompson scored 20 as the Warriors rallied from nine points down in the final four minutes.
The Warriors (15-2) extended the best start in franchise history and moved within one game of matching the team record for consecutive wins set in the 1971-72 season. They have not lost since Nov. 11 to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Oladipo scored 27 points, and O’Quinn had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a disappointing collapse for the young Magic. Orlando had lost four in a row before beating Phoenix on Sunday.
In their first game home since a 5-0 road trip, the Warriors gave their home crowd quite a show in the closing minutes.
Oladipo’s 3-pointer put the Magic up 93-84 with 4:11 remaining. But Curry came back with a 3-pointer, and Thompson connected on consecutive shots from beyond the arc to quickly tie the game.
The teams traded scores and missed shots — with the Warriors clanking three 3s on one possession — before Harris banked in a running shot over Andrew Bogut, who couldn’t finish an alley-oop from Curry on Golden State’s next time down.
After Elfrid Payton’s missed runner, Curry got the ball and raced down court for the tying shot from long range, where the Warriors had struggled most of the night. Golden State ended 8 for 27 from deep.
Curry (sprained left ankle) and Thompson (bruised right quadriceps) were questionable before the game and took more than three quarters to find a rhythm.
The Magic looked much improved since losing 111-96 to the Warriors in Orlando last week.
Orlando smothered Golden State’s shooters for most of the first half and kept the ball moving offensively to keep the game flowing at its pace. But the Warriors began to break loose at the end of the second quarter, going on an 18-4 run in the final five minutes capped by Curry’s 3-pointer for a 56-46 lead at the half.
The Magic went down by 12 in the third before putting together their own 18-4 spurt. Orlando led 75-73 entering the fourth.
TIP-INS
Magic: C Nikola Vucevic sat out with back spasms. He is questionable for Wednesday’s game at the Los Angeles Clippers. … Orlando has lost four straight against the Warriors, dropping the season series for the second straight year.
Warriors: F David Lee remains out indefinitely with a left hamstring injury. … The Warriors are 7-0 against the Eastern Conference.
UP NEXT:
Magic: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Warriors: Host New Orleans on Thursday.
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