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Stephen Curry scores 51, leading Golden State Warriors past Orlando Magic

By Tim Povtak, The Sports Xchange

ORLANDO, Fla. -- As only the great ones can, Stephen Curry made it all look so easy once again.

While his teammates struggled to find any energy, Curry carried the load, getting 51 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in leading the Golden State Warriors to a 130-114 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the Amway Center.

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The NBA's Most Valuable Player hit 10 of 15 3-point attempts and 20 of 27 shots overall. It was Curry's third game this season scoring at least 50 points. The star guard scored more than 40 points for the 10th time this season.

It also was his 128th consecutive game with at least one 3-point basket, setting another NBA record.

Curry scored 24 points in the third period, including a just-over-half-court 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. He lifted the Warriors to a 99-91 lead going into the final period and never looked back.

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"I don't know how significant that record is because it's so simple for him," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the 128-game run. "The 3-point shot is like a layup to him. It's what he does. The half-court shot is like a 3-pointer for everyone else.

"Our guys were tired. There was no enthusiasm. He just lit a fire under us tonight."

Curry, who leads the NBA in scoring (30.4 points per game), had 42 points Wednesday in a victory over the Miami Heat. He played only 34 minutes Thursday as the Warriors coasted through an easy fourth quarter.

"It's just pretty much executing what we do," Curry said. "We have such great passing big men, and a great passing team that we find the angles, and I get easy looks at the basket."

The Warriors (52-5) have won 15 of their past 16 games. It also was the fifth game (all on the road) in seven days for the Warriors, who are chasing the NBA record of 72 regular-season victories, set by the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97.

"I don't get into the who is the great shooter of all time and things like that," Curry said. "We just have to keep making winning plays, which we are doing now."

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Forward Draymond Green and center Andrew Bogut each had 12 points for the Warriors. Forward Harrison Barnes added 10. Reserve center Marreese Speights scored 14 points, including eight in the fourth period. All-Star guard Klay Thompson, who had 33 points Wednesday against Miami, managed just nine points. He was dragging.

"This was Steph's night," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "He tricked us so many times. He runs. He stops. He relaxes, causes you to relax, and then he's gone. That happened at least a dozen times. And it's not like he didn't do anything else. He never gets tired. He just runs and runs and runs. It's very impressive."

The Magic were led by guard Evan Fournier with 20 points, but he managed just three in the second half when the game was decided. Forward Aaron Gordon matched his career high with 19 points and added eight rebounds. Center Nikola Vucevic had 17 points and nine rebounds. Guard Victor Oladipo scored 14 points, and point guard Elfrid Payton had 12 points and six assists.

"(Curry) just makes unbelievable shots," Fournier said. "Scoring 51, that's just another level. I'm not surprised, though. That's what he does."

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The Magic led at halftime, but they never seriously challenged in the fourth quarter as the Warriors pulled away. Curry only played four minutes in the final period.

He scored 24 points in the third period, including his long bank shot as the buzzer sounded. He lifted the Warriors to a 99-91 lead going into the final period.

The Magic led 63-59 at halftime, riding 17 points from Fournier, who hit two of his three 3-point attempts. The Warriors shot 52 percent (25 of 48) from the field but committed 12 turnovers, including four in the first quarter by Green.

Curry was hot early, hitting six of eight shots for 15 points in the first quarter. He had 22 by halftime. The Magic had better balance early with Oladipo getting 12 points and Vucevic 11 before intermission.

The Magic led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, and the Warriors led by six in the second. Oladipo and Fournier hit 3-pointers late in the second period for the halftime edge.

Curry made a shot from beyond the arc with 5:42 left in the first quarter to extend his streak of games with a 3-pointer, breaking the record previously held by Kyle Korver.

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"I have a hard time seeing how his streak's ever going to end," Skiles said before the game.

NOTES: In pregame, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston tried to get close enough to take Warriors G Stephen Curry's photo but was shooed away by security guards. ... In the Warriors' win Wednesday in Miami, Curry and G Klay Thompson combined for 75 points, the 30th time in their Golden State careers that they combined for 60 points or more in a game. ... The Warriors sounded thrilled to have signed veteran F Anderson Varejao earlier this week. He played 10 minutes in his first game Wednesday, contributing one point, then added five points in 14 minutes Thursday. "Everybody here loves him," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "He'll be great in our locker room." ... Magic reserve F Ersan Ilyasova, who came in a trade with Detroit last week, has made his presence felt defensively. He drew his league-leading 31st and 32nd charges of the season in the victory over Philadelphia this week.

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