The Golden State Warriors cannot afford any slip-ups as they cling onto the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, they were met with a huge challenge early in their matchup against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Minutes into the game, Draymond Green was getting into it with NBA referee Ray Acosta, yelling at him and hounding him after whistles. Stephen Curry was assessed a shooting foul at one point, which led to Green approaching him and yelling.
A technical foul was given to Green, who was not done berating Acosta despite the technical. Shortly after, a second technical foul was called on Green, leading to his ejection less than four minutes into the game.
“We need him. He knows that. We all know that,” Curry said of Green. “So whatever we need to do to keep him on the floor and be available, that’s what’s got to happen. Especially at this point in the year. It was a tough way to start the game.”
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Curry was seen exasperated at the call, as he knew it would be a long road ahead without Green in the lineup. The Magic are one of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA and would be looking to make a statement against the old guard, gatekeeping Warriors.
However, Curry was not about to let that happen. He helped the team get back on track without Green in the lineup, scoring 17 points with 10 assists and four rebounds. His dagger 3-pointer near the end of the game buried Orlando, as he did his patented go-to-sleep celebration all the way down the court.
The Warriors locked down after the Magic pulled within one point with 2:41 remaining in the game on a Cole Anthony bucket. Golden State would end the game on a 7-0 run, punctuated by Curry, who scored the game’s final five points.
It was a massive victory for the Warriors, as the Houston Rockets picked up a road win of their own later in the night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime. A loss by Golden State would have dropped them into a tie with Houston for 10th place in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
