Who: Golden State Warriors (43-18) at Orlando Magic (28-34) When: Thursday, February 28th, 7:00 PM EST Where: Amway Center, Orlando, FL TV: Fox Sports FL Line: Golden State -4.5, O/U: 225 OUT: Golden State - Durant (rest), Iguodala (sick); Orlando - Bamba (leg), Fultz (shoulder) Golden State Orlando Offensive Rating: 116.9 (1st) Offensive Rating : 107.3 (23rd) Defensive Rating: 110.3 (16th) Defensive Rating : 108.2 (9th) Pace : 101.0 (10th) Pace : 98.2 (26th) Projected Starters: PG - Stephen Curry PG - D.J. Augustin SG - Klay Thompson SG - Evan Fournier SF - Alfonzo McKinnie F - Aaron Gordon PF - Draymond Green F - Jonathan Isaac C - DeMarcus Cousins C - Nikola Vucevic Brady Klopfer from Golden State of Mind helped us out with a Q & A piece in preparation for tonight's game. We touched on everything from DeMarcus Cousins to Golden State’s legacy, and more! Check it out here. Check out a detailed preview of tonight’s Magic/Warriors game from our Preston Ellis here. Which version of this Magic team is to be believed? Our Mike Cali dove into that question here. Gameday Report: Let's bounce back tonight! pic.twitter.com/Yj5M3ghQur — Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 28, 2019 Feel free to follow us on Twitter at @OPPMagicBlog. Leave your pregame and in-game comments below, and as always - enjoy!<doc-sep>Can the Warriors rebound from Wednesday’s gut-punch loss in Miami? Join us for live news and analysis Thursday at 4 as Golden State take on the Magic in Orlando. The Warriors (43-18) look to get rid of the sting from Dwyane Wade’s desperation, buzzer-beating 3-pointer that handed them a loss to Miami. They’ll have to do it without Kevin Durant, who’ll be rested on the back-to-back in what will be his first missed game of the season. Golden State will also play the third of its four-game road trip without reserve Andre Iguodala (illness). The Warriors actually had it a lot tougher the first time they played the Magic this season. Durant scored 49 points in a 116-110 victory over Orlando in November in a game Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins all missed. Cousins is facing a stiff test in Orlando’ All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, who scored 30 points and had 12 rebounds against the Warriors at Oracle. Orlando also features San Jose’s Aaron Gordon, the starting power forward who’s averaging 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Related Articles Warriors and their fans have been part of NBA’s fans vs. players problem Steve Kerr admits he can’t stop thinking about Klay Thompson’s return Andrew Wiggins wants to play in the Olympics. Will Steph Curry appear in his first Games? Kurtenbach: The Warriors can’t make the same mistake again this offseason Warriors exit interviews: Wiseman in future plans, help for Curry, the Klay-Oubre puzzle and more The Warriors close their four-game trip with a showdown with the 76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday. Like our Warriors Facebook page for more Warriors news, commentary and conversation. Here are the projected starting lineups: Warriors C DeMarcus Cousins PF Draymond Green SF Alfonzo McKinnie SG Klay Thompson PG Stephen Curry Magic<doc-sep>Okay, sure. The Orlando Magic, who lost Tuesday night to the New York Knicks after blowing a double-digit lead, snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Golden State Warriors Thursday night inside the Amway Center. The Magic overcame a woeful third quarter in which they scored 11 total points to beat the defending NBA Champions, 103-96. Orlando outscored Golden State 33-15 in the game’s final period. The Magic last defeated the Warriors on December 14th, 2012. The Warriors, who lost in heart-breaking fashion Wednesday night in Miami on a Dwyane Wade off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer, shot 9 for 40 (22.5%) from behind the three-point line against the Magic. Aaron Gordon led the Magic Thursday with 22 points (9-15 FGA’s) and 15 rebounds. Gordon scored seven crucial points for the Magic in the game’s final two minutes. “His defense was great. (And) to me, he made the two biggest plays,” Coach Steve Clifford said after the game. “He hit the three, which I think gave us our first lead (in the fourth quarter). I believe it put us up by one, and then at plus three - he got the tip-in to make it two possessions.” Golden State started the game off as cool as could be, missing 8 of their first 11 shots. On the other hand, Orlando knocked-down 8 of their first 11 attempts from the field. The Magic began the game playing with great pace, sharing the basketball and running the floor. Plays like this one from Jonathan Isaac, who began the game 3-3, helped the Magic jump out to an early lead. Stephen Curry started to take over midway through the first quarter. The former NBA MVP scored 15 consecutive points for the Warriors to close out the game’s opening period. One of the facets of the game that plagued the Magic in the fourth quarter Tuesday night in New York was their lack of ball movement. You could tell Thursday night that sharing the basketball was a point of emphasis for the Magic, who recorded 12 assists on their first 15 made baskets. The Magic were balanced offensively the entire first half with six players scoring five points or more before intermission. Klay Thompson began cooking in the second quarter, scoring 12 points in the period (5-10 FGA’s, 2-6 3PTA’s). But the Warriors as a team only shot 39% in the first half (23% on 3PTA’s). Gordon had a strong first half, scoring 10 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. A Gordon jump-shot from the elbow beat the buzzer to send the Magic into the break up 59-51 on the Warriors. The third quarter was a disastrous one for the Magic. Golden State jumped all over Orlando, coming out of the half on a 25-7 run to claim a double-digit lead. The Warriors, led by DeMarcus Cousins, scored 16 of their 30 points in the period in the paint. Cousins scored 10 of his 21 points in the third. The Magic shot 5-23 in the third quarter, turning the ball over four times. Orlando, who led by eight points at intermission, limped into the fourth quarter down 11 points. 30 PTS for Steph at the end of 3 on NBA League Pass!#DubNation 81#PureMagic 70 : https://t.co/yTkITWsvb6 pic.twitter.com/cb63rZHdWD — NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2019 The Magic dragged themselves off the mat so to speak, charging out on a 14-6 run to begin the fourth quarter, which forced Steve Kerr to call a timeout with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. . @Tflight31 is heating up! Tune in now and catch the @OrlandoMagic take on the Warriors LIVE on FOX Sports Florida and the FOX Sports App. #PureMagic #NBA pic.twitter.com/YNDENMLTJc — FOX Sports Florida (@FOXSportsFL) March 1, 2019 A Terrence Ross three tied the game with 4:21 at 89-89, but the Magic were burned the following defensive possession on a Jordan Bell back-door lob. A Curry uncontested three from the wing on Golden State’s next offensive trip down the floor prompted Clifford to call timeout with his team trailing by five points with just over three minutes left. Well, that timeout seemed to work. A Gordon three-point make stemming from a pretty two-man game with Vucevic, followed by a lay-in from D.J. Augustin, gave the Magic a three-point lead with 1:16 remaining in the contest. It was a lead they would not relinquish. Orlando’s bench, a unit that really struggled against the Knicks on Tuesday, outscored the Warriors bench 35-12. Ross scored 16 points in the game, 11 of them coming in the game’s final quarter. Isaiah Briscoe, who returned to the Magic after missing two games with a concussion, scored 8 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. “(Down) eleven at home, that’s not where you want to be (against them), but certainly it’s not the end of the world,” Clifford told reporters. “We had to play a good three or four minutes, and that’s what we did. That group of Isaiah (Briscoe), Wes (Iwundu), T-Ross, AG, and Khem (Birch) played a good four/five minutes there. They set the tone defensively for the remainder of the fourth quarter.” The Magic now travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers Saturday night. They will then make a quick trip to Cleveland to play the Cavs on a back-to-back.<doc-sep>
The Warriors continue the back-to-back in Florida, play the Magic on Thursday. powered by Thursday, February 28 4:00 p.m. Amway Center Orlando, FL WATCH: NBCSBA RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors at MagicThursday, February 284:00 p.m.Amway CenterOrlando, FLWATCH: NBCSBARADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network BRING THE MAGIC The Warriors will have little time to prepare for the next game as they swing into action Thursday night on the back end of a back-to-back in Florida. Next up: the Orlando Magic. This will be the second game of the two-game series between the two squads, and the Dubs took the first one 116-110 in comeback fashion. Kevin Durant keyed the comeback effort with 49 points and Klay Thompson added 29 in the win, while Nikola Vucevic put up 30 points for Orlando. Neither Stephen Curry or DeMarcus Cousins played in that November matchup, but both are expected to take the floor on Thursday. LAST TIME OUT The Warriors overcame a 24-point deficit and took the lead in the fourth quarter, but Dwyane Wade banked home a three-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Warriors a stunning 126-125 defeat. In addition to spoiling what would have been the Dubs’ largest comeback victory of the season, it also left a bitter taste on a brilliant night from Klay Thompson, who paced the team with 36 points on 14-for-23 shooting. » Full Game Recap MATCHUP AT A GLANCE GSW ORL 43-17 28-34 1st in West 9th in East PTS: 118.8 (1st) PTS: 105.9 (25th) REB: 46.5 (8th) REB: 44.6 (20th) AST: 29.6 (1st) AST: 25.0 (13th) LAST GAME'S STARTERS GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney ORL: Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac and D.J. Augustin INJURY & ROSTER NOTES GSW: Kevin Durant (rest), Andre Iguodala (illness), and Damian Jones (left pectoral surgery) are out. Team Notes ORL: Isaiah Briscoe (concussion) is TBD. Tomofey Mozgov (knee), Mo Bamba (tibia stess fracture), and Markelle Fultz (shoulder) are out. Team Notes DURANT TO GET SOME REST Kevin Durant had what was then a season-high 49 points when the Warriors last played the Magic, but that won’t happen again on Thursday. While the Magic do have a solid defense – more on that later – Orlando’s defensive schemes will not factor in limiting KD’s production. Rather, it’ll be a case of load management. Durant will sit out Thursday’s game due to rest, marking the first game he has missed all season. Andre Iguodala will also sit out with an illness, leaving the Dubs shorthanded on the back end of this back-to-back, which also presents an opportunity for the likes of Alfonzo McKinnie and Shaun Livingston. What they and other Warriors do with that opportunity will surely impact how this inter-conference matchup goes down. TEAM LEADERS GSW ORL PTS: Curry (28.4) PTS: Vucevic (20.6) REB: Cousins (7.9) REB: Vucevic (12.0) AST: Green (7.3) AST: Augustin (5.0) ORLANDO SCOUTING REPORT Orlando is sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and like the Dubs’ first two opponents on this road trip, they figure to be in a battle for one of the final spots in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have won eight of their last 11 games and leading the way is first time All-Star Nikola Vucevic, who paces the squad in scoring (20.6 ppg) and rebounding (12.0 rpg). San Jose native Aaron Gordon (15.8 ppg), Evan Fournier (15.0 ppg) and Terrence Ross (14.7 ppg) offer further scoring depth, but he Magic’s greatest strength is their defense. They are third in the league in defensive rating in wins, allowing 100.0 points per 100 possessions in their victories this season.