NBA: 'Splash Brothers' carry short-handed Warriors past Magic 

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Led by backcourt mates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors rode a barrage of third-quarter 3-pointers to a 103-89 victory over the Orlando Magic.
 

.@StephenCurry30 scored a game-high 23 points to go with 5 assists. @KlayThompson added 20 points, including 4 treys #SplashBrothers

— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) March 19, 2014

Playing without starting small forward Andre Iguodala (right knee tendinitis) and center Andrew Bogut (left ankle inflammation), the Warriors went 6-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc in the third period while extending a 10-point halftime lead to as many as 24.

Curry had 10 of his 23 points in the quarter and Thompson 13 of his 20 as the Warriors completed their first season-series sweep of Orlando in 22 years.

The backcourt duo combined for five of Golden State's six successful 3s in the quarter, including two apiece in an 18-0 flurry that turned a 57-51 game into a blowout.

Curry hit three of his six 3-point attempts in the game and Thompson four of his five as the Warriors overcame a 2-for-11 start from long range to finish 10-for-27. Backup guard Steve Blake contributed the other three treys to that total, and he finished with 12 points.

Power forward David Lee added 20 points as Golden State (43-26) recorded its first regulation-time home win over Orlando since 2006.

Lee completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, helping the Warriors gain a 44-40 advantage in that department even in Bogut's absence.

The win in the opener of a five-game homestand was the Warriors' seventh in nine games.

Meanwhile, the Magic (19-49) lost their sixth in a row and remained winless on the road this season against Western Conference competition (0-12).

Orlando will get three more cracks at Western sites this week as it completes a four-game trip. Tuesday's loss (Wednesday, PHL time) was the 31st in 35 road games for the Magic, which has the league's worst road record, 4-31. Orlando is 4-21 overall against Western teams.

Center Nikola Vucevic led five Magic players in double figures with 15 points. Backup forward Tobias Harris had 14 points, small forward Maurice Harkless 12 and power forward Kyle O'Quinn and backup guard Victor Oladipo 10 apiece for Orlando, which outshot the Warriors 45.5 percent to 45.1 overall but was outscored 30-12 from 3-point range.

The Warriors began to distance themselves from the Magic late in the first half, using a combined 29 points from Lee (16) and Curry (13) to go into halftime with a 57-47 advantage.

Orlando hung within 45-41 with 4:59 remaining in the half. The Golden State defense then forced four turnovers in the Magic's next six possessions, and Lee had three late hoops as the Warriors gained their 10-point cushion entering the break. - Reuters


The scores:
WARRIORS 103 - Curry 23, Lee 20, Thompson 20, Speights 13, Blake 12, Green 6, Crawford 5, Barnes 4

MAGIC 89 - Vucevic 15, Harris 14, Harkless 12, O'Quinn 10, Oladipo 10, Nicholson 8, Moore 6, Nelson 4, Afflalo 4, Dedmon 4, Lamb 2

Golden State 30-57-87-103
Orlando         27-47-76-89