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

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.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.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...