Stephen Curry frequently flicked his wrists, dousing nets for a season-high 56 points and triggering looks "of near disgust" from defenders in a Golden State Warriors comeback win over the Orlando Magic.
Curry made 16 of 25 shots (64%) in the 121-115 victory Thursday in Orlando, Fla. He made a dozen 3-pointers, including a 56-footer as time expired in the first half.
His Warriors teammates combined to make just 37% of their attempts, including 26% of their 3-point shots.
"We were a little slow in the first quarter and the whole first half," Curry told reporters. "It felt like it was one of those kinda nights where you just need to kinda keep us afloat."
Curry, who also made all 12 of his free throw attempts, scored 35 points in the second half, including 22 in the third quarter. That surge helped the Warriors overcome a 14-point deficit and secure their fifth-consecutive victory.
"You just see the defeat and the look of damn near disgust on the defender's face," said Warriors forward Jimmy Butler, who made just 1 of 7 shot attempts en route to five points. "But there ain't nothing too much you could do about it, you know what I mean?
"Good luck to whoever it is that is guarding him."
Magic forward Paolo Banchero totaled 41 points, including 24 points in the first half of the loss. The Magic outshot the Warriors 50.6% to 45.6%, but struggled to make their attempts in the second half. They outscored the Warriors 58-30 in the paint. The game featured three lead changes and was tied just once.
The Magic went up 13-3 off the opening tip-off and carried a 34-23 edge into the second quarter. Banchero hit two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions about four minutes into the frame to push the Magic's lead to 16. They carried a 66-52 lead into halftime.
Curry and the Warriors trailed 71-58 less than two minutes into the third quarter, but outscored the Magic 31-6 over the next seven minutes to steal momentum. They never trailed again
The Warriors carried a 92-87 advantage in the fourth. They scored the first seven points of the final frame to add to their lead and outscored the Magic 29-28 over the final 12 minutes.
"Once you see a couple go down, juices start flowing and the rim grows," Curry said. "You just keep shooting and having fun with it."
Center Quinten Post scored 18 points off the Warriors bench. Fellow Warriors center Draymond Green chipped in 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Magic forward Franz Wagner scored 27 points in the loss.
The Warriors (32-27) will face the Philadelphia 76ers (20-38) at 8:30 p.m. EST Saturday in Philadelphia. The Magic (29-32) will host the Toronto Raptors (18-41) at 6 p.m. Sunday in Orlando.
