OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors held off the Toronto Raptors 121-111 in a game that included crunch-time struggles and a large, lost lead. It was a bit like Sunday's loss to Cleveland, but with a larger margin for error and sans Kyrie Irving's late brilliance. It should also be noted that Stephen Curry was conspicuously more involved throughout Wednesday's affair, finishing with 28 points, seven assists and seven boards.
Golden State started out hot against the Raptors, firing on all cylinders while playing defense with force. Every scorer got involved, helping the Warriors rack up a 42-17 lead by the end of the first quarter. Curry, who bemoaned taking a mere 11 shots in the Christmas game against the Cavs, didn't exactly come out gunning Wednesday, but he did act more as a playmaker.
When expressing his issues with the offense, Curry has been careful to note that it hasn't necessarily been about shots, but about making plays. Wednesday saw Curry in pick-and-roll action, but most notably during a stretch when Kevin Durant sat. The Durant-Curry pick-and-roll that many expected hasn't been a large part of Golden State's offense. Of this fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Wednesday's game, "You know, it's funny, when you go through stuff on paper, sometimes it looks better than it does on the floor."
One aimless crunch-time possession spoke to Kerr's analysis. Durant ambled over to set a screen for Curry, which forced a switch and resulted in a play that didn't really get going. For whatever reason, the Warriors have looked far more comfortable with Draymond Green as a screener. One pretty possession near the close of halftime involved a Curry pick-and-roll pass to Green that turned into a running Green assist for a Durant corner 3-pointer. That looked far more like the Warriors than Durant screening for Curry ever has.
The Raptors ate into Golden State's big lead in the second quarter, before the Warriors re-established control. This looked like a game that would be over early, a soothing "get right" contest on the heels of a painful loss.
Then the Warriors simply stopped scoring. Golden State went from owning an 18-point lead with 7:30 remaining in the game to a five-point lead at the 3:00 mark. It was a stretch that saw them shoot 1-of-9 and commit two turnovers while generating few good looks.
The offense never quite got on track, but unlike in the Cavs game, Golden State was able to smother the opposition's charge. While he couldn't score in the final stanza, Durant made a key block at the rim. With the Warriors up by seven at the 1:32 mark, DeMar DeRozan blew past Klay Thompson. He rose to unleash a dunk, only to be met at the rim by Durant, who rudely rejected the effort. Green completed the sequence by throwing the ball off DeMarre Carroll. That play had been set up by a gritty effort in the previous possession, in which Curry snagged a Durant miss in traffic for a couple of free throws. Golden State couldn't get unstuck offensively but managed enough effort to avert disaster.
The Warriors got the win, but they didn't necessarily do it in style, or in a way that would assuage concerns over their crunch-time offense. These recent late snags have been curious, but it is December. The Warriors have plenty of time to figure themselves out.