Warriors’ ‘Strength in Numbers’ absent as Buddy Hield, bench struggle vs. Magic

Warriors’ ‘Strength in Numbers’ absent as Buddy Hield, bench struggle vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Don’t blame the three veterans in the starting lineup. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green each played imperfect games Tuesday night, but they surely did enough to give the Warriors a reasonable chance at a victory that would have pushed their win streak to four games.

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Several factors contributed to Golden State’s 121-113 loss to the Orlando Magic, but the most disappointing was the bench production. Or lack of it.

Orlando was without star forward Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.7 points per game. Yet he was not missed, as a 21-year-old wing named Anthony Black came off the Magic bench to torch the Warriors with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He played 33 minutes and posted a team-best plus-18.

Orlando’s bench piled up 35 points, while Golden State’s reserves totaled 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including 2 of 10 from deep.

Folks, a minus-13 bench output is not a winning formula – particularly for a team that starts three men in their mid-30s.

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Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, remains optimistic.

“We have good team,” he told reporters at Kia Center. “We’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got a great approach, our players are connected, chemistry is good.”

The Warriors qualify as a “good” team. Their approach is mostly solid. The players generally seem to be pulling in the same direction.

The depth? It’s a tour of highs and lows. And it hit another low against the Magic.

Al Horford led the bench crew with nine points and six rebounds and two steals, but he finished minus-11 over 27 minutes. Brandin Podziemski contributed five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, finishing minus-7 over 27 minutes. Gary Payton II, who scored four points, somehow finished minus-15 in 10 minutes. Quinten Post scored two points and finished with an even plus-minus.

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And then there is Buddy Hield, the team’s most explosive bench player. The guy who over the last five seasons has drained more 3-pointers than anybody…

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Publish date : 2025-11-18 21:12:00

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