During the first 32 minutes of Tuesday’s contest between the Magic and Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Orlando and Golden State went back-and-forth up-and-down the court.
To that point, the game was tied 10 times when it featured 13 lead changes with neither side taking a double-digit advantage to that point late in the third quarter.
Then, the tide turned.
The Warriors closed out the third frame on a strong note, opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run and never looked back when it held the Magic to 14 points in the final frame en route to a 120-97 victory.
Although Jamahl Mosley‘s squad was without Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain), Jalen Suggs (left hip bruise) and Tristan da Silva (right should bruise), it still lacked the necessary focus and effort required to take down a Stephen-Curry led Warriors squad.
Curry wasn’t himself when he shot 4 for 13 from beyond the arc but still notched 26 points when Jimmy Butler scored 21 and Moses Moody added 20 in the 23-point win.
While Paolo Banchero (21 points), Desmond Bane (20) and Anthony Black (19) combined for 60 points, the Warriors (15-15) scored 21 points off 18 turnovers.
The Magic (16-13) have a quick turnaround when they travel to Portland for the second night of a back-to-back against the Trail Blazers.
Banchero bumpy
Although Banchero nearly notched a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, the Magic forward was far from efficient on offense.
He shot 7 for 19 from the floor (36.8%) when he struggled both from beyond the arc (0 for 4) and in the mid-range (0 for 3). While he made all four of baskets in the restricted zone, he missed five looks elsewhere in the paint.
Although he shot 7 for 8 at the free throw line, Banchero turned the ball over four times.
Paint points
Banchero wasn’t the only member of the Magic who was inaccurate near the rim.
Despite racking up 50 points in the paint, Orlando left plenty on the board when it shot 25 for 52 (48%) in the painted area.
As Golden State was slow to start from distance (3 for 18 from 3 in the first half), it drove to the basket more often instead. By the end of the night, the Warriors totaled 62 points in the paint, converting 31 for their 47 (65.9%) shots near the bucket.
The Magic overall missed 13 shots in the restricted area (14 for 27 as a team).
Free points
As Golden State drove the ball to the rim more to make up for its 3-point shooting woes, it got to the free throw line more often than most nights when the Magic kept fouling early.
The Warriors entered the game 24th in nightly free throw attempts when they averaged 22.8 per contest. In the first half alone, they had taken 17 shots at the charity stripe and made 13.
Orlando slowed down some when it came to fouling after the break but by then it was too late. The Warriors ended 17 for 24 at the free throw line while Magic ended 18 for 26.
Rookie watch
No. 25 pick Jase Richardson saw extended action for the third game in a row with Suggs out.
The Orlando rookie hit his first 3 and had a floater fall early to end with 11 points in 22 minutes, but turned the ball over 3 times.
Second-round pick Noah Penda also stepped onto the earlier than usual but picked up three fouls in the first half. The French forward only took 3 shots from the floor to finish with 5 points in 15 minutes.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com