Head coach Jamahl Mosley pointed to free throw disparity as a major factor in the Orlando Magic’s 121-115 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, beyond Stephen Curry’s dominant performance.
“The man had 56 points… there is no aside for Steph. He had 56, so I completely understand,” Mosley said in response to Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede. “So being completely transparent – 34 free throws for a jump-shooting basketball team is tough to overcome as well. They shot 45 threes and 34 free throws. I know we were attacking the baskets extremely aggressively – so I look at that and had a conversation with him and I just want to be helped to understand how we can attack the basket the way that we do and they shoot a ton of jump shots… and they get 34 free throws. I really want to understand that.”
.@therealBeede asked #Magic coach Jamahl Mosley postgame what, besides Stephen Curry’s 56 points, he felt was the difference tonight:
“The man had 56 points. There is no, ‘Aside from Steph…’ He had 56.”
“Completely transparent, 34 free throws for a jump-shooting basketball… pic.twitter.com/meStO61B0K
— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) February 28, 2025
Golden State attempted 34 free throws compared to Orlando’s 18, despite the Magic taking significantly fewer three-pointers. Orlando shot 11-for-28 from beyond the arc, while the Warriors connected on 19 of their 45 attempts.
Despite a stellar performance from Paolo Banchero, who recorded 41 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, the Magic could not overcome Golden State’s dominant third quarter. Stephen Curry erupted for 56 points, shooting 12-for-19 from three-point range while going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.
Jamahl Mosley acknowledges challenges in containing Stephen Curry’s brilliance in Magic’s loss
Curry’s dominance was undeniable, but Mosley addressed whether there was anything the Magic could have done differently to slow him down.
“I mean he’s always moving, they’re always looking for him, we switched up, he found a way to slip out of it [and] get to the corner, they found him,” Mosley said. “A lot of that also happened in transition in the cross matches and where he’s just coming up – they get a high screen and he’s coming down the floor and just pulling. There’s a reason why he is who he is and now that’s not an excuse for maybe some of our lapses, but he’s an amazing basketball player that made some amazing shots tonight because that’s what he is capable of doing. Again, you have to look at the film and find out where there were points in the half court where our communication could have been up, but there’s also points of him being Steph Curry.”
Golden State’s third-quarter surge ultimately decided the game, as they outscored the Magic 40-21 in the period, erasing Orlando’s 66-52 halftime lead. Curry was responsible for 24 points in the quarter, scoring 22 himself. The Warriors shot 61.9% from the field and 72.7% from three-point range, draining eight threes in the stretch to take a 92-87 lead into the fourth quarter.
The loss marked Orlando’s third defeat in their last four games during their seven-game homestand, dropping them to 29-32 on the season, which included a one-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and a 40-point blowout against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
The Magic will look to bounce back as they continue their homestand with back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors (18-41) on Sunday and Tuesday, followed by a matchup against the Chicago Bulls (23-36) next Thursday.
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