The Warriors survived a scare from a pesky Raptors squad that never seemed to go away, and the 115-110 home win lifted the Dubs to 12-0 on the young season.
The streak lives on. The Warriors survived a scare from a pesky Raptors squad that never seemed to go away, and the 115-110 home win lifted the Dubs to 12-0 on the young season, and 1-0 in their nifty throwback uniforms featuring “The City” logo.
GAME LEADERS
After seeing an 18-point lead morph into a two-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors retook the lead with a 7-0 spurt and did just enough to remain undefeated on the season. The win is the 16th straight in the regular season (dating back to last season), matching the all-time franchise record set during last year’s championship season.
As has become all too familiar in Dub Nation, Stephen Curry was instrumental to the victory. With a history of torching the Raptors – he came into the game averaging 27.9 points and 8.5 assists in his career against Toronto, his best marks against any single opponent – the reigning MVP hit some big free throws down the stretch to put the game away for the Warriors.
Curry finished with 37 points and nine assists, his eighth 30-point effort of the season. Klay Thompson scored 12 of his 19 points in the second quarter and Andrew Bogut added a season-high 13 points in the win. The Warriors shot 53.8 percent in the win and had assists on 31 of their 43 made baskets, but the team otherwise struggled offensively, thanks in large part to a Toronto defense that turned 20 Golden State turnovers into 24 points.
While the Warriors have the Splash Brothers, Toronto’s backcourt was equally as potent. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each had 28 points, and behind that duo the Raptors consistently scratched and clawed away at their deficit. After losing their fourth quarter advantage just one possession after they gained it, Toronto had a chance to go back in front when a defensive stop gave them possession with 25 seconds left. But an offensive foul called on Lowry as he was setting a screen gave the ball back to the Warriors, and Curry finished the possession with a pair of free throws.
Draymond Green made what might have been the defensive play of the night on the next possession, challenging a Lowry shot attempt before corralling the rebound and getting fouled. Green would hit both free throws to seal the win and keep what has been a perfect season so far intact.
After a day off on Wednesday, the Dubs will be back at it on Thursday when they visit the Clippers. The Warriors will then come back home for a Friday night showdown with the Bulls in which the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica championship trophy, courtesy of Mountain Dew.