Magic Bring Defensive 'Energy' in Win vs. Warriors

The Golden State Warriors were held to just 101 points against the Orlando Magic, their third-lowest scoring output in a game this season.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 8, 2023

Magic Bring Defensive 'Energy' in Win vs. Warriors /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is celebrating its first series sweep of the Golden State Warriors in a decade after a 115-101 win Saturday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Magic prioritized defense in the game plan, and it paid off. The Warriors' 101 points were the third-lowest total they have scored in a contest all season long.

Granted, the Warriors didn't have Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson on the court, but the Magic was able to keep Golden State out of the key, limiting them to just 26 paint points. Orlando doubled their total with 52.

"We constantly try to send that message: take care of the paint first and impact all shots," head coach Jamahl Mosley said. "Obviously they made 18 threes but taking care of the paint was a priority."

As one of the bigger teams in the league, the Magic has the ability to lock in the paint and force teams to shoot outside. That's how the Warriors offense likes to run, but it's hard to win games going 18 of 58 from beyond the arc.

Orlando also forced 16 Golden State turnovers, 12 of those coming off steals, and six of those coming from Markelle Fultz, who tied a career-best.

"I think we had a high energy," Fultz said. "We were helping each other, it led to transition buckets... I feel like our energy was there and I feel like that's the most important thing. And we had fun doing it."

By strengthening the defense, the Magic continues to build an identity that will move them further along its rebuild as the season goes on.

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Published Jan 8, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.