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Minus Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors still too much for Orlando Magic

By Matt Schwab, The Sports Xchange
Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors soared past the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI
Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors soared past the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI | License Photo

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Playing without superstar guard Stephen Curry, the versatile Golden State Warriors went on a trademark third-quarter surge to defeat the Orlando Magic 110-100 on Monday night for their seventh straight win.

Curry sat out with a right thigh contusion, and his replacement, Shaun Livingston, rose to the challenge with 16 points and six assists.

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Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Draymond Green had 20 points, making 3 of 5 3-point attempts.

Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 20 points. Aaron Gordon had a quiet night with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Warriors (11-3) and Magic (8-6) were tied 56-56 at halftime, but Golden State opened a 78-63 margin and kept hammering away toward a 32-point quarter, virtually equaling their NBA-leading average of 32.6 points in the third quarter.

It was point guard by committee at times for Golden State, which had 35 assists.

The Warriors entered the night with an NBA-record-tying six consecutive wins of 17-or-more points. They came close to setting the record outright, opening a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Magic trimmed the margin late in the game.

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NOTES: Warriors G Stephen Curry (right thick contusion) sat out the game. G Shaun Livingston started in Curry's place. Curry did not participate in Monday's shoot-around in order to receive treatment on the injury, which he suffered in Saturday's win over Philadelphia. ... The Warriors recalled G Quinn Cook from their Santa Cruz G-League to help fil the void. Curry has been averaging 25.7 points on 46.7 shooting percentage in 32.3 minutes per game. ... Orlando F Jonathan Isaac, who suffered a sprained right ankle Saturday in Denver, was in a protective walking boot and sat out the game. Orlando coach Frank Vogel described Isaac as "one of our best position-less defenders." ... Orlando G Elfrid Payton (right ankle sprain) sat out. ... Warriors F Kevin Durant spoke about his admiration for former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who shares a GQ magazine cover series with Durant. "Kaepernick is just a guy standing up for what he believes in," Durant said of the controversial QB. "Standing for people that don't really have a voice. It was a tremendous honor to be on the cover with him, somebody that his words have started a conversation that's needed in this country."

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