The Warriors and Raptors traded baskets (and turnovers) all night but managed to lock down in the final minutes and play their best ball to claim a victory to get over 0.500
The Golden State Warriors returned home after a three-game swing in the Southwest to take on the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors and Raptors came into the game with the fifth and sixth highest paces respectively. From the get-go, both teams played at a frenetic pace trading shot for shot.
In trying to figure out rotations, Kerr continued to experiment with lineups by putting Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell in the first quarter. That decision paid off quickly with a beautiful one hand slam by Bell off a lob by Andre Iguodala. This kid is special.
Nothing controversial about this dunk
Klay had the hot hand in the second quarter with a cool 15 in second and 18 at the half to pace the Warriors to an eight point lead.
The Warriors built a larger lead in the third quarter but turnovers continued to plague the team and keep the Raptors within striking distance. Once again the young guys flashed some brilliance on the court together as McCaw whipped a no look over the shoulder pass to Iguodala and then a feed to Bell for an easy layup.
Things got dicey in the fourth quarter as the Raptors mounted a comeback and eventually took the lead late in the game with superb play by their standout sophomore Jakob Poeltl. The Warriors were getting absolutely abused on the offensive glass and Poetl was having a field day.
With the combination of turnovers and second chance opportunities, it looked as though we were headed towards another sloppy disappointing finish. But then the Warriors flashed their brilliance defensively.
After a key stop Durant pulled up in transition, reminiscent of game three of the NBA Finals, and hits a three in stride to tie the game.
It was beautiful
The next play, the Warriors get another key defensive stop and Durant feeds Curry for the go-ahead three. Another block by Klay Thompson on the defensive end would clinch a victory for the Dubs 117-112.
The Warriors escape by a very small margin as turnovers hurt them all night. The execution was lacking and the team didn’t look as inspired during certain spurts. But the Warriors decided to play their best basketball in the final two minutes and closed the game out to eek out a victory.