Thompson Scores 21 in 1st, Warriors Roll Past Magic 122-92
OAKLAND (CBS/AP) -- Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first quarter and the Golden State Warriors cruised past the Orlando Magic 122-92 on Thursday night.
Stephen Curry added 25 points and nine assists after appearing to injure his right foot in the opening minutes, Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 54-14 and clinch their third straight Pacific Division title.
Thompson, who owns the NBA record for most points in one quarter with 37 against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015, was almost perfect in the opening period against Orlando. The three-time All-Star made his first five shots beyond the arc and shot 8 of 11 overall while helping the Warriors to an early double-digit lead.
By comparison, the entire Magic team made only nine buckets in the first quarter.
It's the seventh time in his career that Thompson has scored 20 or more in a single quarter and the third time this season. The other two came when Thompson had 23 points in the second and 20 in the third on his way to an NBA season-high 60 points against Indiana on Dec. 5.
Thompson's fast start began not long after Curry limped off the court and into the Warriors locker room early in the first quarter following a collision with Elfrid Payton.
The reigning two-time MVP returned a short time later and was greeted by a rousing ovation from the Oracle crowd. Curry then promptly threw an inbounds pass to Thompson for an easy bucket that put the Warriors up by double digits.
Payton and Jeff Green scored 13 points apiece for Orlando.
Golden State's win was its second straight following a season-high three-game skid and evened its record at 4-4 since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury in late-February.
Unlike the other three wins - all decided by eight points or fewer - Steve Kerr's team had little problem beating Orlando and sending the Magic to their fourth straight loss.
The Warriors led by 36 in the second half, allowing Kerr to sit most of his starters in the fourth quarter, and finished with their most lopsided win since beating Chicago by 31 on Feb. 8.
TIP-INS
Magic: Orlando was called for a technical foul for having six men on the court in the second quarter. ... The loss marked the 500th regular-season game for Orlando coach Frank Vogel, who has a career record of 274-226.
Warriors: Curry joined current St. John's coach and former Warriors star Chris Mullin as the only players in franchise history to record 1,000 steals while with the team. Curry has 1,002.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night seeking their third straight win over the Bucks.
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