By 
Stephen Curry removed the towel draped over his head, dropped the ice pack attached to his right knee and climbed off his chair to return to the court.
The Golden State Warriors didn't need Curry to close some games during their early-season winning streak. They needed him this time.
Twice.
Curry scored 12 points in the final four-plus minutes of regulation Saturday night at Chase Center, nearly ushering the Warriors to victory. But Orlando's Jamal Cain corralled an offensive rebound and scored with 1.5 seconds left, pushing the game into overtime.
Curry and Draymond Green both stayed on the bench to start OT, a nod to their advanced basketball age and the effort they expended all night. They rested briefly, then returned to the court – and Curry added five more points as the Warriors earned a 126-119 victory over the pesky Magic.
Curry finished with 41 points – his 16th game of 40 or more points since he turned 35, extending his NBA record – as Golden State (7-3) won its seventh consecutive game, its longest streak since March 2025. Yaxel Lendeborg added 23 points, Brandin Podziemski scored 15 and Green dished out 13 assists. Franz Wagner led Orlando with 30 points.
This was Curry's second game this season with 40-plus points. He also scored 44 in an Oct. 28 road win over Minnesota.
The Warriors won despite 18 turnovers. They also struggled on the boards: Orlando outrebounded them 57-42.
Curry returned with 4:34 left in regulation and the game tied at 96. He promptly channeled his 28-year-old self – remember, he's actually 38 – and scored on an array of long-range shots, feathery floaters and driving layups.
In all, Curry went 13-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-10 from long distance.
After making a habit of digging early holes in recent games – and then storming back to win – the Warriors jumped ahead Wednesday. They seemed on the verge of blowing out short-handed Orlando, only to see a 16-point halftime lead evaporate in a ragged third quarter.
The Magic took their first lead of the game at the 3:23 mark of the quarter, when Tristan da Silva buried a 3-pointer. That seemed to stun both the Warriors and the crowd.
Golden State had built its cushion by moving the ball crisply in the first half, repeatedly leading to open shots. The Warriors finished the half with 19 assists on 22 made shots from the field.
Also notably, Lendeborg found himself with a challenging defensive assignment on Wagner. The injury-depleted Magic – Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs all were out – needed Wagner to carry the offense, magnifying Lendeborg's task.
He moved his feet well, staying in front of Wagner and often preventing straight-line drives to the basket. Wagner still scored 13 points before halftime, though he didn't go wild as Orlando needed (that came later).
So the Warriors built an early 15-point lead, survived a second-quarter flurry of 3-point shots from Jevon Carter (trimming Orlando's deficit to seven) and then stretched the advantage to 57-41 at halftime. It helped when Curry buried a long, contested 3 with 2.2 seconds left before the intermission.
The first half also featured another scuffle involving Georges Niang, the feisty reserve forward. Niang wrapped up Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr. on a second-quarter play, when Carter caught a pass near the basket. It was a smart play, but Niang also might have been a tad aggressive in bear-hugging Carter from behind.
Carter took exception, Niang didn't back down and the situation quickly escalated. Green jumped to Niang's defense, but the officials swiftly and sensibly gave technical fouls to Niang and Carter and the conflict ended there.
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This article originally published at Steph Curry rides to the rescue, propels Warriors to seventh straight win.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/steph-curry-rides-rescue-propels-054357513.html
