The Orlando Magic enter Monday night's contest against the Golden State Warriors in a positive place.
The team is coming off of a 113-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, a game that snapped a steak of three defeats that also happened to be their first matchup against longtime franchise star Dwight Howard.
Aaron Afflalo is leading the team in scoring and put in a season-high 30 in the victory on Sunday to along with five rebounds and five assists.
"The way we lost the past three games, I'm sure our fans just wanted to see us win in general," said Afflalo to the Associated Press.
"But for us to kick-start this road trip by playing well, against the Lakers in particular, they should be proud of that. It's a huge confidence boost for us."
Afflalo has been averaging 15.6 points and has been the most valuable player for the Magic, shooting over 42 percent while playing 34 minutes per game. The team has gone only 6-10, but has played well defensively, holding teams to 96 points per game.
Orlando is ranked 9th in the league in rebounding, which has been aided by the play of power forward Glen Davis. He had a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday against the Lakers and is leading the team in rebounding with 8.4 per game.
"Glen was extremely focused," Afflalo said. "That was his position. He's done an amazing job all year long."
The Magic will be helped on Monday night by the return of Jameer Nelson, who had 19 points and 13 assists against the Lakers after missing Friday's loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
The game against the Lakers was emotional since it was the first against Howard, but the Magic players didn't allow it to affect the game. Howard left the court following the loss without shaking anyone's hand.
"Let Dwight be Dwight. If he wants to walk off the court, it's cool," said Davis after the game Sunday to the Associated Press. "No hard feelings. He lost. I'd feel bad, too. I wouldn't want to shake nobody's hand. We weren't even really thinking about him. We just wanted to get this win. I didn't talk to him. I'm here to play basketball. I'm not here to be buddies."
Howard had 21 points and 15 rebounds, but it was his old team who left the Staples Center with the victory.
"It wasn't emotional. As a team, our effort wasn't there," Howard said Sunday to the Associated Press.. "We have to start the game with energy and play the whole game the same way. We didn't do that tonight, and they capitalized on it and they got a win."
According to the Associated Press, "The Magic are 0-2 when playing the second half of games on consecutive nights, averaging 73.5 points on 36.4 percent shooting in those defeats."
The Warriors enter the game looking for their first four game win streak under second-year head coach Mark Jackson.
Golden State was one of the worst teams in the Western conference last season, but has played much better on defense this year, resulting in a 10-6 record, including 6-2 at home at Oracle Arena.
"We're learning how to finish ballgames, we're learning how to execute," Jackson said. "We're learning how to value possessions, and we're learning how to defend."
The team is tied for first place in the Pacific division with the Los Angeles Clippers and is coming off of a 103-92 win against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
David Lee has been one of the most impressive players for the Warriors and had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win. He is averaging 17.1 points and is leading the team in rebounding with 10.8 per game.
"We've played very well and we've had a couple great wins in a row," Lee said. "I feel like everyone is playing their role."
Second-year guard Klay Thompson has been impressive for Golden State, averaging 15.8 points and 4.2 rebound per game. He scored 22 points against the Pacers on Saturday and has had at least 21 points in three straight games.
Stephen Curry is leading the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game and had a season-high 11 assists in the win on Saturday. Curry has posted double-doubles in two straight games and is shooting over 44 percent from the field this year.
According to the Associated Press, "The Warriors are 4-0 against Eastern Conference foes -- all at home."
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