Magic at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have put together consecutive wins for the first time in nearly three weeks and hope to pick up one more home victory before a challenging road trip when they host the Orlando Magic on Monday. Following an uncharacteristic 2-6 swoon that featured multiple injuries and plenty of drama in the locker room, the Warriors defeated Portland and Sacramento in a back-to-back set.
Kevin Durant has emerged from a mild shooting slump to produce 76 points to go along with 21 rebounds and 14 assists during the two-game winning streak for Golden State, which begins a five-game trek Thursday against Eastern Conference-leading Toronto. "Phenomenal," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Durant after Saturday's 117-116 victory over the Kings. "He's taking on such a big responsibility, along with Klay (Thompson). You see the shot distribution; those guys are really carrying the load offensively. Kevin was just amazing. There were so many possessions that were dead in the water, and he bailed us out late." The Magic have had a very uneven start to their six-game road trip, first losing by 25 points at Denver and then stopping the surging Los Angeles Lakers 108-104 on Sunday. Center Nikola Vucevic had another big game with 31 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as Orlando improved to 4-4 on the road.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (10-10): Vucevic averaged 33.5 points and 14 rebounds in two wins over the Lakers in a span of just nine days. "He's had our number this year," Lakers superstar LeBron James told reporters of Vucevic. "He has been good inside and outside." Aaron Gordon chipped in 17 points and Terrance Ross added 16 off the bench, including a key hoop in the final minute.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (14-7): The road trip could feature the return of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who will miss Monday's game - his 10th in a row - due to a strained groin. His eventual return will help ease things for Durant and Thompson, who had 31 points in the win over the Kings - including the decisive basket with five seconds to go. Forward Draymond Green has missed five games due to a toe injury and remains day-to-day.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SG Evan Fournier was 2-for-10 from the field in each of the first two games of the road trip while missing all seven of his 3-point attempts.
2. After scoring fewer than 20 points in each of his first seven games, Thompson has reached that mark in 12 of the last 14 contests.
3. Golden State has won each of the last 10 meetings.