With no hoops on the calendar until Dec. 22, Warriors Wire is rewinding the tape through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between.
During the era of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green in the Bay Area, a different All-Star could lead the Warriors on any given night. When one of the All-Stars had to miss time, another would step up – a scenario few teams in association could replicate.
In 2018 against the Orlando Magic, Durant stepped up in impressive fashion.
Nov. 26, 2018
With Curry out due to a sore groin and Green sidelined with a sprained toe, Durant led the Golden State Warriors with the Orlando Magic in town.
Coming off a 44 point performance against the Sacramento Kings, Durant registered another 40 plus point-scoring effort in back-to-back games. The reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player notched 49 points on 16-of-33 shooting from the field.
Along with scoring, Durant made up for Curry’s absence as a facilitator, dishing out nine assists. The 10-time All-Star added six boards, two steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.
Although the Magic battled behind steady play from Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, the Eastern Conference visitors couldn’t match Durant’s performance.
After leading the Warriors to a 116-110 victory over the Magic at Oracle Arena, Durant tallied another high scoring mark in the next game. While visiting Toronto, Durant dropped 51 points against the Raptors.
For a three-game stretch, Durant averaged a scorching 48 points on 52.2% from the field with 10 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest. The former MVP also shot 40% from beyond the arc during that span.
Watch highlights from Durant’s 49 point night against the Magic via YouTube:
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