What Jamahl Mosley, Paolo Banchero Said After Loss to Warriors, Curry's 56 Points

ORLANDO, Fla. – Thanks to Stephen Curry's 56 points, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 121-115 on Thursday night in the Kia Center.

More: Steph's 56, Warriors' 3rd-quarter surge too much for Magic

After the game, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and forward Paolo Banchero, who scored 41 points in the defeat, met reporters to discuss the matchup.

Below is a transcript of their interview sessions and video of each:

Jamahl Mosley

On Stephen Curry and the Warriors’ performance in the third quarter...

“Yeah, you know, great player. He had a heck of a night. I think [in] that third quarter, [I’ll] have to go back, look at it, and see exactly where we let go of the rope; what allowed them to get on that run. Obviously, it was him making shots, but they had to be generated from somewhere and it wasn’t all just in the half court. I would have to go back and look at how we were handling possessions as well as what allowed them to get out on that run.”

On what needs to happen to get out of the offensive lulls...

“We’ve just got to move it. I mean, in the first half, it was very – the ball was popping, the ball was moving, sharing it, getting out in transition, getting stops, out and running, and I think in that third quarter, we stalled out a little bit. I think at the end of the day, for what we need to do, you’ve got to keep doing the things that got you success in that first half and that was simple. We shared it, we moved it, got it around the horn, and then whether the ball goes in or not, it has energy with it and so I think that’s one thing that we’ll continue to look at.”

On whether there was anything that could’ve been done defensively to slow down Stephen Curry...

“I mean, he’s always moving. They’re always looking for him. We switched up, he found a way to slip out of it, get to a corner, [and] they found him. A lot of that happened also in transition, in the cross matches, and where he’s just coming up. They get a high screen and he’s coming down the floor and just pulling. You know, he’s unbelievable. 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. And again, you have to look at the film and find out where there were points in the half court where our communication could’ve been up but there’s also points of him being Steph Curry.”

On how happy he was with his team’s response tonight after the 40-point Cleveland loss...

“100 percent yes. 100 percent yes. If we can respond that way, and play that hard consistently, and have that energy, and have that spirit, we are going to put ourselves in a very good position, and that’s what you’re asking. How do they respond; which they always do, and we always do. That’s going to put is in a better position; if we can play that hard and understand what we can learn from this game.”

On Jett Howard being the first player off the bench tonight...

“I just think, you know, the opportunity for Jett (Howard) to get some time and I think he did a very good job in that first half of coming out and playing, stepping into his shot, and defending the right way. I think he did a very good job there. Again, we’ll go back and look at the film, evaluate and see the things that we need to do in order to, one, not let a guy find 56 (points). It’s part of who he is in some ways, but the other side of it. What did we do good that we can build upon as we move forward?”

Paolo Banchero

On what happened in the third quarter to allow Golden State back in the game...

“Yeah, I think third quarters have been tough for us the last few games. We’ve let teams get back in the game going back to the Memphis game, they came back in the third quarter, so I think it’s just us not being able to withstand the runs. I think when a team goes on a run you have to either lock in and get stops or execute on the offensive end and get good looks. And I don’t think we did either in the third quarter, so they came storming back and when you let a player like that [Stephen Curry] get going, it’s really hard to come back.”

On the specific struggles they're experiencing and how to get past them...

“I mean, that’s a tough question to answer right now on the spot. We’ve just got to go watch the games, see what the reoccurring themes [are] and figure it out. You know we got good teams coming in here, so can’t just expect teams to lay down when you get a lead. I think we saw that with Memphis, saw that tonight with Golden State. These teams got a playoff pedigree, this team tonight has some champions on the team, you know they’re not going to lay down, the game’s never over, they understand it’s a long game so, like I said you let a couple easy looks go in, that’s the start of an avalanche.”

On if he liked the way the team came out tonight...

“Yeah, I mean we came out with a lot more energy, a lot more fight, we were getting stops to start the game, getting out running offense. You know we were letting our defense turn into offense. But you know, we came out of the locker room flat and that turned out to be costly. So, we just got to learn from it, and you know, figure it out.”

On if he felt he had to set the tone for the team...

“I mean, I feel that responsibility every night. You know, come out [and] set the tone, be aggressive and just play my game. But I think I could’ve had a better second half and could’ve done some other things better, but yeah, would’ve liked to just get the win.”

Up Next

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

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