The Warriors are clawing their way back to respectability, one gritty win at a time.
Golden State dispatched the Orlando Magic 120-97 Saturday night at Chase Center, improving to 15-15 on the season and a rock-solid 9-4 at home. This wasn’t the Warriors playing down to inferior competition or sleepwalking through another game they should dominate. This was Golden State imposing their will in the areas that actually matter.
The numbers tell the story of a team that finally controlled the controllables.
The Warriors outscored Orlando 62-50 in the paint, matching them nearly possession for possession on the boards (47-48), and most importantly, won the turnover battle decisively. Golden State coughed it up just 13 times compared to Orlando’s 18 miscues, but here’s where it gets beautiful: the Warriors conceded only 9 points off turnovers while feasting on Orlando’s mistakes for 21 points.
That 12-point swing in points off turnovers? That’s the entire margin of victory and then some.
Stephen Curry led the charge with 26 points on an efficient 10-23 shooting, doing what he’s done for over a decade now. But this win wasn’t built on one man’s brilliance. Jimmy Butler contributed 21 points in his continued integration into the Warriors’ system, Moses Moody added 20 points on 8-11 shooting with three triples, and Quinten Post grabbed 12 boards to help control the glass.
But it was Brandin Podziemski with a career high +36 plus/minus that helped drive the dagger into Orlando’s heart, scoring 16 points in 28 minutes off of the bench with 5 dimes, 4 rebounds, and a steal and a block a piece. WE LIKE THAT PODZ!
The shooting splits reveal a team finding rhythm: 52% from the field, 30% from deep, and 71% from the charity stripe. Not spectacular from distance, but efficient enough when you’re dominating inside and protecting the basketball. What matters most? The Warriors are back to .500 with consecutive wins for the first time in what feels like forever. They’re starting to look like a team that understands its identity, one that can win without relying solely on otherworldly shooting performances. They’re grinding teams down in the paint, winning the possession battle, and playing cleaner basketball.
Two straight wins. A home record trending upward. Balanced contributions. This is how championship windows stay open, even if just a crack.
