Dual-core score 67+10+13! Warriors 113: Lost to Magic 121, I found 5 helpless facts

The NBA regular season suffered an upset that was not an upset - the Warriors, who had previously won three consecutive victories, lost to the Magic 113-121 in an away game, and their winning streak came to an abrupt end. Looking at this game, it is not so much how good the Magic played, but it is better to say that the Warriors themselves played a good hand to pieces. From the core fighting to collapse but no one helped, to the role players collectively falling off the chain, to the inside being full of loopholes, and the defense being ineffective, the five helpless facts are clear. Even if Curry and Butler combined to score 67 points and tried their best, they could not stand up to the inability of their teammates and their own problems. In the end, they had no choice but to accept the defeat, which made many fans feel distressed and angry.

Let’s talk about the progress of the game first. In fact, something was wrong from the beginning. At 8 o'clock in the morning, the game officially started. Both teams have core players missing - Kumingjia on the Warriors' side is not available, and Benqueiro on the Magic's side is also exempt from the game. Normally, the strength gap should not be too big. The two sides were still back and forth in the first quarter, with the score rising alternately, but the Magic were obviously better at playing team basketball, with fierce inside attacks and fast defensive counterattacks. At the end of the quarter, they opened up the point difference with a little effort and led 36-32 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Magic pushed even further, rushing to the basket to cause damage. The number of free throws accumulated, and the point difference once widened to double digits. At this time, it was all up to Curry to step up to the rescue and hit consecutive unreasonable three-pointers. Not only did he help the team stabilize the situation, he also surpassed Carter with his scoring in this quarter and rose to the 22nd place in history. It was one of the few bright spots in this defeat. After halftime, the Warriors narrowed the point difference to 7 points, temporarily trailing 60-67, and seemed to have hope of a comeback.

But back in the second half, the Warriors still couldn't find a solution to the problem. The two teams were locked in a score difference of about ten points. The Warriors wanted to counterattack, but either they made a passing error and were counterattacked by their opponents, or the defense missed someone and allowed their opponents to score easily, and they were always on the verge of chasing points. After the third quarter, the Magic continued to lead 93-85, and the Warriors' decline was already obvious. In the final decisive battle, Curry and Butler worked desperately to chase points, once narrowing the point difference to 5 points, allowing fans to see the dawn of a comeback. However, the Magic's side was stable, relying on accurate free throws and key points to stabilize the advantage, and finally fixed the score at 121-113. The Warriors could only watch the winning streak end.

Turning over the opening statistics sheet, the Warriors' complete defeat is even more clear. The rebounds were 7 points behind, 36-43, which meant that there were 7 fewer second-chance offensive opportunities, and the inside line was pressed to the ground by the opponent; assists were 26-28; steals were 11-14, and the focus on the defensive end was far behind; turnovers were even more fatal, with 18 in the game, 4 more than the Magic. In the free throw session, the Magic got 27 free throws by rushing to the basket and hit 25 with a super high shooting rate of 93%, which is equivalent to picking up a lot of points in vain. Although the Warriors shot 50%, which was only slightly worse than their opponents' 51%, and their three-pointers also crushed their opponents by 13-8, 35%-25%, these advantages were all offset by loopholes in other links. With a 79% free throw shooting rate and 22 free throws, they could not withstand the opponent's free throw offensive. It can be said that except for three-pointers, the Warriors are completely defeated in most other statistics, so the loss is reasonable.

Let’s talk about these five helpless facts, each of which hits the Warriors’ pain points. The first helpless fact is that the dual-core tried their best, but fell into the dilemma of "cannot support alone". Curry and Butler really fought hard in this game. Their personal performance was nothing to say, but they couldn't stand up to their teammates. Curry played 34 minutes, making 12 of 23 shots, 7 of 15 three-pointers, and 3 of 5 free throws. He scored 34 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. He carried the team on both offense and defense. You know, the Magic have been targeting him for a long time, double-teaming him as soon as he gets the ball, and there is no physical confrontation, but he still maintains a 52.2% field goal percentage and a 46.7% three-point shooting rate. This efficiency is already at the top level in the league.

Butler's performance was equally impressive. He played for 38 minutes and played almost all key periods. He made 10 of 16 shots and 13 of 15 free throws. He efficiently scored 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. His lethality is really strong. He rushes inside the Magic again and again, either scoring layups or drawing fouls to the free throw line. The 15 free throw opportunities are the best proof. His 93.3% free throw shooting rate also shows how stable he is. In the decisive battle in the final quarter, he scored 14 points in a single quarter, with consecutive breakthrough layups and mid-range shots to help the team bite the score. Three steals also showed how active he was on the defensive end.

But even if the two scored 67 points together, accounting for 60% of the team's total points, and also contributed 11 rebounds, 13 assists and 6 steals, they still failed to lead the team to win. The core problem is that when the Magic put all their defensive focus on the two of them, no other teammates can step up to share the pressure. As soon as Curry got the ball, he was double-teamed by two people. After Butler broke through, he was also surrounded by many people. No matter how strong his personal ability was, he could not withstand the defense of five people. This situation of "two people playing, eight people watching" is really the most helpless thing.

The second helpless fact is that Moody, who once had high hopes, has now completely exposed the nature of his "embarrassing responsibility". Before, everyone thought that Moody had potential and could help the team on the front line, but his performance in this game was catastrophic and could not support the team's expectations at all. Played for 29 minutes, made 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 1 of 2 free throws. He only scored 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He also had 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. The plus-minus value was as low as -12. He was a proper "negative" player.

The third helpless fact is that Horford, who spent a lot of money to introduce during the offseason, completely failed to fill the Warriors' internal holes. When the Warriors signed Horford, they were interested in his inside experience and rim-protecting ability, hoping that he would strengthen the team's weakest inside line. However, his performance in this game can only be described as "mediocre", and it can even be said to be a bit disappointing.. He played 27 minutes and made 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and all 4 free throws. He contributed 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. Such statistics are really unjustifiable for an inside player with a big contract.

The fourth helpless fact is that the Warriors' role players have collectively collapsed and completely become "dragers". Except for Green, who can see a little, everyone else is almost sleepwalking. Green scored 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. His performance was quite satisfactory. As the team's defensive core and organizational hub, he did his best to connect the offense and lead his teammates on the defensive end, but he alone could not change the situation at all.

But the performance of other role players was really appalling. As a starter, Richard only scored 6 points and 2 assists in the game. He had almost no sense of presence on the court. He couldn't touch the ball on the offensive end, and he frequently missed people on the defensive end. He was easily passed by Magic players for layups several times. This kind of performance was completely unworthy of occupying a starting position. The bench was even more of a disaster. Bodemski made 2 of 7 shots and only scored 5 points and 6 rebounds. He also had embarrassing statistics of 0 assists and 2 fouls. It was not uncommon to miss empty baskets and open three-pointers, which made the fans' blood pressure soar. Payton Jr. had 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. He did not use his defensive advantage at all and was like an invisible man on the court; Hield only scored 2 points on 1 of 3 shots, had neither rebounds nor assists, and made little contribution on both offense and defense; Bost scored 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on 1 of 4 shots, which is also dispensable.

The fifth helpless fact is that the Warriors' defensive system completely collapsed. It was simply "paper-like" and was easily defeated by six Magic players who scored in double figures. A total of 6 Magic players scored in double figures. Bane scored 23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. He was crazy on both ends of the offense and defense. He took advantage of the Warriors' defensive loopholes many times to complete steals and counterattacks, and ran faster than the Warriors defenders. Wagner Jr. had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He completely had the upper hand in the forward confrontation. He shot whenever he wanted and broke out when he wanted; Carter had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. With 17 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists, he was like no one in the paint against Horford's defense and easily scored a double-double; Silva had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Suggs also played efficiently with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, especially Suggs, whose 8 assists clearly connected the Magic's offense, making the Warriors' defense worry about one thing and the other. The most frustrating thing is Black on the Magic bench. He made 8 of 13 shots and contributed 21 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He defeated the Warriors' bench defense by himself. The total points scored by the Warriors bench were not as many as Black alone. It was really embarrassing.

Next, if the Warriors cannot adjust in time, the consequences will be disastrous. The inconsistent performance of role players is an old problem. The coaching staff must find ways to stimulate their fighting spirit so that they can stand up at critical moments; the problem of weak inside lines must also be solved as soon as possible. If Horford remains in this state, it may be difficult to assume the important role of the core inside line; the defensive end needs to be polished, and the communication between players, defensive positioning, and defense awareness must be re-trained. If these problems cannot be solved, even with top dual-core players like Curry and Butler, it will be difficult for the Warriors to gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive Western Conference.