ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Stephen Curry scored a season-high 56 points, making 12 3-pointers and outscoring Orlando by himself in the third quarter of another astounding performance, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Magic on Thursday night.
Curry was 12 for 19 behind the arc in his NBA-record 26th career game with 10 or more 3-pointers. He was 16 of 25 overall and made all 12 of his free throws in Golden State’s fifth straight victory.
Paolo Banchero scored 41 points for the Magic and Franz Wagner added 27.
Curry had 22 points in the third quarter, in which Golden State turned a 14-point deficit into a five-point lead. Orlando managed 21 points in the period.
Quinten Post came off the Golden State bench with 18 points and five rebounds, including 10 straight Warrior points in the second period. Draymond Green had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
With Curry on the bench, the Warriors held the Magic scoreless for the first 3:08 of the fourth quarter, stretching a five-point lead to 12.
Warriors: It was the Warriors´ seventh win in eight games since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade on Feb. 6. Butler had five points on 1-of-7 shooting with seven assists in 32 minutes.
Magic: Eighteen Magic turnovers, many of them unforced, kept the Warriors in the game in the first half despite 64% Orlando shooting. It was the Magic’s 14th loss in 20 games.
Curry ended the first half with a shot from well beyond halfcourt to keep the Warriors within 14 at 66-52, then opened the second half with another 3-pointer.
Curry’s career scoring high is 62 points, set on Jan. 3, 2021, against Portland. His career high for 3-pointers in a game is 13.
The Warriors visit Philadelphia on Saturday. Orlando hosts Toronto on Sunday.
