Warriors vs. Magic score: Kevin Durant scores 49 points, has huge block as Golden State wins third straight
The Warriors looked dead in the water on Monday, and then Durant took over
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant scored a season-high 49 points on Monday to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Orlando Magic, 116-110. It was the third straight win for the Warriors following a four-game losing streak, and it was the second consecutive 40-plus point game for Durant, who scored 44 in Saturday's win over the Kings.
Golden State trailed by as many as 18 points, but came all the way back thanks to Durant and Klay Thompson, who scored 29 points on 6-of-12 3-point shooting. Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Terrence Ross added 28 points off the bench.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
The K.D. Show continues
The Warriors didn't have it offensively from the jump on Monday, so Durant took it upon himself to carry the offense. Thompson finally got it going in the fourth quarter, but before that Durant was pretty much the only one on the team doing anything offensively. Ironically, it wasn't a big shot that sparked the Warriors' third-quarter comeback, but rather a chase-down block after a turnover that was just what Golden State needed.
KD recovers for the chasedown block and Andre Iguodala connects on the other end! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/GsCf3BWaK1
— NBA (@NBA) November 27, 2018
After that it was back to offense, where Durant was borderline unstoppable down the stretch. His dagger 3-pointer with 21 seconds left put the Warriors up by four, essentially sealing the victory. It's the first time Durant has had back-to-back 40-plus-point games since 2011.
Putting the 'D' in Iguodala
Andre Iguodala's stat line was nothing to write home about, but he was a terror on defense during the Warriors' second-half comeback, particularly in the fourth quarter. He came up with key deflections, steals and rebounds to get Golden State out in transition, where Thompson made a lot of his 3-pointers. Iggy has been known to put things on cruise control until the playoffs roll around, but he was engaged on the defensive end in the second half of Monday's win.
Vucevic dominates
Nikola Vucevic is having one of the more underrated seasons in the NBA. He was dominant all night for the Magic, with the Warriors' multiple defensive strategies all falling short against the big man. He was stretching the floor with his jumper, dominating inside and using his passing skill to hit cutters out of the post. He also hit some big shots in the fourth quarter to stem different Golden State runs.
Lopsided box score
Durant had 49. Thompson had 29. Besides them, no other Warriors player scored in double-figures -- Quinn Cook's eight was as close as it got. It's pretty remarkable that the Warriors were able to win with virtually no help from the supporting cast, but that's just how good Durant and Thompson were.
















