Steph Curry's 56, Warriors' 3rd-Quarter Surge Too Much for Magic

Stephen Curry scored 56 points — including 12 three-pointers — in the Golden State Warriors' 121-115 comeback win Thursday over the Orlando Magic.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Kia Center. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. — Sometimes, you tip your cap to an all-time great.

Stephen Curry turned in a vintage performance Thursday night against the Orlando Magic, scoring 56 points with 12 made threes. His Golden State Warriors needed all of them to overcome a 17-point deficit and beat Orlando 121-115.

"He's unbelievable," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "There's a reason why he is who he is. Now, that's not an excuse for maybe some of our lapses, but he's an amazing basketball player that made some amazing shots tonight because that's what he's capable of doing.

"You have to look at the film and find out where there were points in the halfcourt where our communication could've been up, but there's also points of him being Steph Curry."

Curry's tour de force — he outscored the Magic 22-21 by himself in the Warriors' 40-point third quarter — dropped Orlando to 29-32.

Entering the final quarter of the year, Orlando is in a seventh-place tie with the Miami Heat, who have four games in hand, in the Eastern Conference. The odds of catching sixth-place Detroit and earning the last guaranteed playoff berth — the Magic now trail the Pistons by five games — are getting steeper.

Golden State stayed red-hot since acquiring Jimmy Butler, improving to 7-1 in eight games since the trade.

For a half, Paolo Banchero dueled shot for shot with Curry. The Magic forward finished with 41 points himself — his fourth career game of 40 or more points. Franz Wagner added 27.

The first half belonged to the Magic. Orlando opened the game on a 13-3 run, withstood the Warriors' first counterpunches, and led by 11 after shooting 15-of-18 from the field and making four of their six threes in the first quarter.

The advantage ballooned to 17 with two seconds left to play before halftime.

But in what now looks like a precursor, Curry flushed a heave from three-quarters court and the Magic's lead at the break was 14.

STEPHEN CURRY YOU ARE UNREAL 🤯🤯

CASUAL BUZZER BEATER FROM 3/4 COURT TO END THE HALF 🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/CdHcVxpe5W

— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2025

"He was due for one of those," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said postgame. "Soon as he let it go, I said, 'That's in.' I just felt it. I thought that set a good tone for the second half, gave us a little bit of a lift."

Curry had 21 at intermission, but Banchero was every bit his match with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting with three triples.

Everything changed on the other side of halftime. Golden State started 7-foot Quinten Post (18 points, 16 in second half) to take away Orlando's size advantage, and he scored 10 points in three minutes. From there, it was time for a Curry 22-point takeover.

At the same time, the Magic's offense came to a screeching halt, reverting to poorer tendencies, lacking movement and having to work harder for clean looks. The Magic turned the ball over eight times in the quarter and made only nine field goals. The Warriors flipped a 66-52 deficit to a 92-87 lead after three quarters.

The Magic cut their deficit to 111-109 with 1:55 left but never overcame the third-quarter avalanche.

Orlando shot 50.6 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three — just the second loss in 12 games this year when the Magic shoot at least 36 percent from distance.

Perhaps having Jalen Suggs, who Orlando missed for a 14th consecutive game as he deals with a left quad contusion, would've assisted the Magic's coverage of Curry.

Aside from Curry, the rest of the Warriors combined to shoot 20-of-54 from the field and 7-of-26 from three. Golden State shot 30-of-34 from the free-throw line, with Curry going 12-for-12.

But on a night like Thursday?

"The man had 56 points," Mosley said. "There is no, 'Aside from Steph.' He had 56."

Up Next

The Magic's seven-game homestand continues Sunday at 6 p.m. for the first of two games with the Toronto Raptors.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• NEED TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE: Following a blowout loss to one of the NBA's best teams, Orlando has to focus on finding itself back on the same page. CLICK HERE
• LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: The Magic are assessing all avenues with Jalen Suggs' left quad injury recovery. CLICK HERE
• WCJ WINS NBA CARES MONTHLY AWARD: The Magic big is Orlando's second winner of the award this year. CLICK HERE
• RESERVE GUARDS STEPPING UP WITHOUT SUGGS: Minus Jalen Suggs for the better part of two months, Cole Anthony and Anthony Black have been turned to for their production at the point guard spot. CLICK HERE
• MOE FEELS THE LOVE: While rehabbing a torn left ACL, the Magic center felt the love at a fan meet-and-greet – a reminder to him that they still care. CLICK HERE

Want more Orlando Magic coverage on Sports Illustrated?

Follow 'Orlando Magic on SI' on Facebook and like our page. Follow Magic beat reporter Mason Williams on Twitter/X @mvsonwilliams. Also, bookmark our homepage so you never miss a story.