Warriors Game Day: Sights & Sounds From #WarriorsGround – Golden State Doesn’t Relax Against Orlando Magic (Photo: @jfrancis32 Instagram account)
ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — Tonight started out in auspicious fashion, as several members of #DubNation did not realize how early they had to get to #ROARacle in order to obtain the free Andre Iguodala bobblehead with the Orlando Magic coming into town.
We’d heard that the Stephen Curry bobblehead supply had been exhausted by 6:05PM previously and saw a few Warriors fans on Instagram on the way to the arena in anticipation of Andre’s figurine, but probably running late. We’ll try to find out if they eventually got one, for future reference.
PRE-GAME
Upon arrival at Oracle, we saw Draymond Green warming up against Brian Scalabrine, who was also celebrating a birthday. Scalabrine was and is so much of a cult hero that the official NBA Twitter account even wished him Happy Birthday to go along with a specially made graphic as part of not one, not two, but three consecutive congratulatory tweets, starting with this one:
Happy Birthday, Brian @Scalabrine! #WhiteMambaDay pic.twitter.com/aAqv9mfST8
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2014
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Oddly, media was kept waiting for a few minutes for coach Mark Jackson to appear in the pre-game presser. When he did, he immediately announced that Iguodala, true to the mystique of bobblehead nights, would miss the next three games at a minimum due to knee tendinitis. In addition, Andrew Bogut would be sidelined with a sprained ankle. We filed the in-depth report as soon as we could.
Back on the court, Scalabrine couldn’t hit the birthday bucket on Nemanja Nedovic, who was recalled from the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
Jackson wouldn’t reveal who he was starting in place of Bogut, but soon thereafter, Draymond Green got the nod on the official announcement. As it turns out, Jermaine O’Neal would sit the game out, although he was available in an emergency, per Jackson post-game.
IN-GAME
It was close to start. The Magic led 21-20 with 2:45 to go in the first quarter. Curry had 9 points. At the end of the first frame, it was Warriors 30, Magic 27. David Lee had 8 points and 3 rebounds, while Orlando’s Nic Vucevic countered with 10 points.
With 5:46 to go in the second quarter, the Warriors starting to build a small lead, at 43-39, although Lee and Curry were still stuck at their previous point totals. By halftime, it was Warriors 57, Magic 47. Lee, shown here hitting a jumper, had 16 points and 4 rebounds, while Curry had 13 points and 5 assists.
By 7:43 of the third quarter, the Warriors had stretched the lead to 75-51. Curry was up to 21 points and 5 assists, with Lee at 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Klay Thompson getting hot with 13 points. The #SplashBrothers were 6-for-9 on treys.
At the end of the third period, it was Warriors 87, Magic 66. Curry tallied 23 points on 9-for-12 from the field and Thompson had 18 on 6-for-12 from the field. The Splash Brothers were 7-for-11 combined from beyond the arc.
The bench gave up almost half the lead, the cushion dwindling down to as many as 11, but the starters came back in with about six minutes to play and regained some momentum. With 4:19 left, the Warriors led 98-81.
The final score was Warriors 103, Magic 89. Thompson ended up with 20 points on 4-for-5 from deep and Lee had another double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds.
POST-GAME
At the post-game presser, Jackson said, “I think our guys know, we’re not good enough to relax…” on the Warriors playing down to the competition this season. That was not the case tonight!
Marreese Speights had a rare opportunity in front of the cameras. “We got a lot of guys and we’re deep,” Speights said, “so I know sometimes Coach can’t get me in the game, so I understand that. I get an opportunity like this, I make sure I capitalize.”
Curry: “There wasn’t a lot of pick & rolls but just found the right guy and turned down good shots for better shots…”
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