Vucevic has triple-double, Magic rally to beat Warriors
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Nikola Vucevic had 30 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double and the Orlando Magic overcame a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 124-120 on Friday night.
Up 17 early in the second half, the Magic found themselves trailing 106-93 with 8:50 to play. However, Orlando outscored the Warriors 31-14 the rest of the way by getting three 3-pointers from rookie forward Chuma Okeke and a strong closing kick from Vucevic.
Vucevic made two free throws with 16 seconds left to put Orlando ahead 123-120 after Warriors star Stephen Curry hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute.
Curry missed an off-balance 3-pointer from 27 feet with five seconds left that could have tied it.
"We were able to stay together because it’s difficult to have a big lead and then have it disappear in like a 3-minute span just from our mistakes," Vucevic said. "We were just able to fight back. We stuck together and that’s something we struggled to do in the past. It shows growth."
Curry finished with 29 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. He notched his 12th straight game with at least 25 points despite making just 11 of 29 shots and only 6 of 16 3-pointers.
"It was really an emotional roller coaster all night," Curry said. "That’s kind of the theme of our season."
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 26 points for Golden State, and Andrew Wiggins had 16. Golden State was trying to win three straight games for the first time this season but failed to get past two in a row for the seventh time.
"We should have won this game tonight and continued on our winning streak, but we let another one get away," said Draymond Green, who returned from an ankle injury and had six points, nine assists, and six rebounds. "That’s kind of been the storyline of the season."
Evan Fournier scored a season-high 28 points for Orlando, and Terrence Ross had 24 points and four 3-pointers. Okeke had all 11 of his points and three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Magic made 18 3-pointers.
Golden State appeared to have grabbed control of the game when it unleashed a 52-22 run over a 12-minute stretch of the second half. But the Warriors’ offensive efficiency crumbled late, head coach Steve Kerr said.
"I’ll have to watch the tape, but it seemed like to me it was one pass and a shot," Kerr said of the game’s final 5 minutes. "We stopped doing what got us the lead. When you do that and you are giving up hoops at the other end the whole game shifts."
TIP-INS
Warriors: Green was back in the starting lineup after missing the previous game with ankle soreness. Kerr admitted to being worried about rustiness for Green after the Warriors didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday morning. … Kerr said James Wiseman has already been ruled out for Saturday. It will be the 11th straight game the rookie has missed since spraining his left wrist.
Magic: Gus Malzahn, who was hired by UCF as their head football coach on Monday, attended the game. He shown on the video board and received a rousing ovation. … Vucevic had the highlight of the night when he drove hard to the rim and dunked with authority over Green.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Charlotte on Saturday night.
Magic: Host Detroit on Sunday night.