ORLANDO (Florida) • Even when they are half asleep, the Golden State Warriors still dominate the National Basketball Association (NBA).

With an East Coast start time of noon, the Warriors awakened slowly on Sunday but finished with a flourish, overpowering the Orlando Magic 118-98 at the Amway Centre in Orlando.

The Warriors (38-6) won their seventh consecutive game, keeping pace to become the first NBA team in history to win at least 65 games for three consecutive seasons.

Stephen Curry hit seven of 13 three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points, dominating the third quarter after a lacklustre first half.

"It was an early start, and a challenge mentally, but it shouldn't matter what time of day it is," he said. "We want to win whenever we play. We showed how much winning means to this team."

Curry scored 16 points in the third quarter, as the Warriors turned a tied game into an 18-point lead.

Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored 21 points and hit seven of nine three-pointers. Kevin Durant added 15 points. Draymond had just six points but 15 rebounds.

"I needed a wake-up call today," Green said. "It's difficult to play this early. You could tell by the way we played at the start. But that's the NBA, and we figured it out and got it done."

It was the 20th consecutive game the Warriors scored at least 100 points and upped their record to 14-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season.

Guard Eldrid Payton led the Magic (18-28) with 23 points and 10 assists.

Magic coach Frank Vogel blamed his side for missing too many opportunities.

"There's just no margin for error against them," he said. "The way you punch back against them is by making shots yourself. We missed too many today."

REUTERS