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The Golden State Warriors opened the season with the first 0-3 start of Stephen Curry's career, but they have since won seven consecutive games and now hold a 7-3 record.
Curry powered the Warriors to their seventh straight victory on Saturday, pouring in 41 points to defeat the Orlando Magic 126-119 in overtime. Golden State is now tied for fifth place in a highly competitive Western Conference.
Along with his 41 points, Curry contributed 6 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 13-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Many of those points came at critical moments for Orlando. Curry also made all 10 of his free throw attempts and is now 66-of-67 from the charity stripe in eight games this season.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg continued his strong campaign with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 6 turnovers. The game initially appeared to be a blowout for the Warriors, who led by 16 at halftime, but a third-quarter surge gave the Magic the lead. The contest remained close thereafter, with Orlando forward Jamal Cain converting a putback layup to tie the game with two seconds left. In overtime, Curry and Lendeborg combined to score the Warriors' final 12 points to seal the win.
At the start of the season, it was easy to feel like the Warriors were in a bad place for the long term. Jimmy Butler is likely out until January, it's unclear when Kristaps Porzingis will play basketball again, and Moses Moody is also weeks away from a return. Golden State was, and still is, an unquestionably old team committed to winning now with Curry, but got bounced in the playoffs last year and had the NBA world wondering if this was the summer they would blow it all up. They didn't, and then they posted their worst three-game start since drafting Curry.
You don't need to remind the Warriors of where the vibes were then, as Curry mentioned after Saturday's game: "We don't forget where people thought we were at the beginning of the year." That team is now tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the longest winning streak in the NBA at seven. Next up is a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
Originally reported by yahoo.