The Warriors opened their five-game homestand on a winning note, holding off the Raptors and their high-powered offense in a 121-111 victory on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.
GAME LEADERS
With Oracle Arena all decked out for Whiteout Night, presented by Clorox, the Warriors started white hot. The Dubs hit eight of their first nine shots and shot 72 percent from the field in the opening quarter in which they led by as many as 25 points.
Toronto, owners of the league’s top offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) would get back into the game and trimmed their deficit to five points on two separate occasions, including the fourth quarter with three minutes remaining.
But unlike their Christmas Day defeat in which they squandered a 14-point advantage in the fourth period, the Dubs made enough stops down the stretch to pick up their 28th win of the season.
Kevin Durant did it all for the Dubs. He scored, he rebounded, he protected the paint and he found the open man. He had 22 points, a season-high 17 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks, and he took over the game when things started falling apart for the Dubs.
After a 42-point first quarter – the Dubs’ NBA-best seventh 40-point quarter of the season – they came crashing down to earth and couldn’t manage to take care of the ball. They had nine turnovers in the second quarter leading to 20 points for the Raptors, who all of a sudden were within five points with 2:31 in the half.
But the Warriors answered with a 14-2 run to close out the half, and Mr. Durant was in the middle of it all. He scored or assisted on 11 points during that run, which sent the Dubs into the break with a 17-point advantage.
Durant wasn’t the only one to stuff the stat sheet. Two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry tallied 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Klay Thompson knocked down five of his seven 3-point attempts for 21 points, while Draymond Green tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.
After playing the top two teams in the Eastern Conference in their last two games, the Dubs will close out their homestand with four straight games against Western Conference foes, starting with a Friday night matchup against the Mavericks in what will be the Dubs’ final game of 2016.
Just For Fun
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