The Splash Brothers face the Magic at home, and the Warriors are in a slump and may not win
In the early morning of January 3, Beijing time, the Orlando Magic, who are fourth in the East in the NBA regular season, will challenge the Golden State Warriors, who are in a sluggish state. The Warriors have had a rough start to the season, especially with a recent three-game losing streak that has left them with a poor 15-17 record, 11th in the West, and little hope of making the playoffs. The Magic, on the other hand, shined, leading the fourth place in the East with 19 wins and 13 losses, and their strength was impressive.
In this encounter, it is extremely difficult for the Warriors to reverse the decline and regain victory. Because the Magic are not only excellent overall, but also have established a solid foundation for victory with top-tier defense. The Warriors must solve two major problems in order to hope for victory in this big battle: first, the Splash Brothers' hands have been sluggish for many games, and how to recover is crucial; Secondly, in the face of the Magic's strong defensive system, finding an effective offensive means is also a tough battle that the Warriors must solve.
In the opening 5 minutes, the game was hard to solve. Stephen Curry started the game, but hit the first two three-pointers, and the Magic's defense put him under a lot of pressure. Klay Thompson also didn't do much, missing two consecutive driving layups. On the Magic side, Lang Mo Banchero played a good battle, scoring 7 points and 3 assists in the first 5 minutes, leading the team to a 7-2 lead.
Halfway through the game, the Warriors are in a tougher position. Stephen Curry shot 1-of-4 from the field in the first two quarters and made only 50 percent of his free throws. In the whole game, he only scored 2 points and 1 assist in the first two quarters, and he was completely unable to play the efficient offense that the Splash Brothers are known for. Thompson wasn't much better, stunted back-to-back offense against the Magic's solid defense, scoring five points on 2-of-6 shooting in the first two quarters.
In contrast, the Magic built a solid lead with point guard Markelle Foltz's playmaking and the burst of champion Amo Banchero. At halftime, the Magic led the Warriors by 13 points, 58-45. The key to this game for the Warriors was the performance of the Splash Brothers, but they were seriously out of sorts - Curry scored 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting, Thompson scored 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and the two combined for 8-of-19 shooting. In the face of the Magic's bucket defense, the Warriors' number one attack completely failed, and the game lost suspense early.
At the end of the game, the Magic defeated the Warriors 127-112 to claim an away victory. The win also lifted the Magic to third place in the East, a perfect test of strength. The Warriors, on the other hand, are on a four-game losing streak, dropping to 12th in the West, and their hopes of making the playoffs are slim.
It was clear from this game that the Magic had the advantage with top-tier defense and the extraordinary play of rookies. And the performance of the Warriors Splash Brothers directly determined the direction of the game - the poor state of the two led to the team's complete offensive collapse, and they could not withstand the offensive waves of the Magic. If the Warriors want to return to their past glory, the Splash Brothers must regain their touch; And the team as a whole also needs to be effective on the defensive end, after all, your high score can't withstand the opponent's higher score.
The Warriors' failed performance in this game exposed their current system and tactical problems, with many shortcomings in the defensive link, and once the opponent attacks the top of the league, they will fall into passivity. What's more, if the Splash Brothers' offensive support is not played well, then the Warriors will completely lose the ability to fight back. Time is running out for the Warriors, and hopefully they can solve the problem as soon as possible and get back to the top!