Written by Ananth Pandian at CBSSports.com
On Wednesday, it was Drake Night at the Air Canada Center, a special occasion for the Raptors — Toronto had not lost on the rapper’s dedicated night. After losing to the Golden State Warriors, Toronto’s pristine record on Drake Night is no more.
The Raptors started the game strong, making the extra pass and getting good looks on offense. But then Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry got going and so did Golden State’s defense. The Warriors held the Raptors to 15 points in the second, forcing Toronto to shoot 5 for 24 and went into the half up by 13 points. And despite Toronto’s valiant attempt at a comeback in the second half, the Warriors never gave up their lead and ended the night with the 127-121 victory.
Takeaways
New Splash Bros: Although Klay Thompson struggled with his shot against the Raptors, it didn’t affect Golden State too much, mainly because they have Curry and Durant. The dynamic duo combined to score 65 points, more than half of Golden State’s total points.
Durant finished 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He also dished out six assists and grabbed nine rebounds. Curry was also sensational, drilling three 3-pointers and finishing at the rim with relative ease. He finished the game with a game-high 35 points on 10-of-19 shooting. When Curry and Durant are scoring 30-plus points, it is quite hard to beat the Warriors.
Dynamic Draymond: Led by Durant and Curry the Warriors closed the first half on a dominant 21-4 run. But while Durant and Curry did most of the heavy lifting on offense, it was Draymond Green who keyed Golden State in the first half.
Green was extremely active on both ends of the floor, playing tough defense and helping to facilitate Golden State’s offense. The Warriors All-Star was just everywhere and finished the half with 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal. Green’s performance in the first half was crucial to the Warriors getting and sustaining a lead.
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