Recap

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TORONTO _ Kyle Lowry met the reigning NBA MVP blow for blow Saturday night.

But even a career-high performance couldn't derail Stephen Curry and the undefeated Golden State Warriors.

Curry scored 44 points, while Lowry poured in 41 in a thriller that was decided in the dying seconds as the Warriors captured win No. 21 with a 112-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

``That's what he does,'' DeMar DeRozan said of Lowry. ``I'm trying to get him to be more of a scorer. He put his heart out there, and he just came up a little short.''

DeRozan finished with 16 points, while Lucas Nogueira had 14 points, and Luis Scola added 10 for Toronto (12-9).

Klay Thompson chipped in with 26 for Golden State (21-0).

The Raptors had given the defending NBA champion Warriors a run for their money early last month in a narrow loss, and they were a confident bunch Saturday.

They trailed just 83-79 with a quarter left to play, and scraped out a one-point lead with just under five minutes to go on a spectacular sequence that saw a Lowry three-pointer, a DeRozan layup, and a Lowry layup.

Curry calmly drilled a pair of threes _ he'd had confidently turned and headed back upcourt before the ball fell through the net on each _ to put Golden State up by two points with 2:33 left to play.

``You've got to give him all the credit, he's a helluva player man, he makes it look so effortless,'' DeRozan said. ``Now with all the confidence, what he's able to do, you've got to give him credit. As a fan of the game, it's definitely exciting to see.

``Sucks you only play them twice a year because you love playing in these types of games.''

A Lowry layup with 10.7 seconds pulled the Raptors to within a point, but two free throws by Curry, then a turnover by Cory Joseph clinched yet another victory for Golden State.

``They are 21-0 for a reason,'' said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. ``I thought our effort was there, but again, consistency. . . to beat a great team like that there can't be any 'oh crap' moments, and we had a couple of those.''

Curry spent three of his childhood years in Toronto, chucking up shots at the Air Canada Centre while his dad Dell played for the Raptors.

He looked at home on that same floor Saturday, draining nine three-pointers. Lowry had six. The point guards each had seven assists.

``It's tough when we had an opportunity to (win), it was right there,'' Lowry said. ``But at the end of the day they still won and we lost. Move on.''

Golden State is chasing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who own the NBA single-season record for wins with 72. They broke the record for the best start to a season back on Nov. 25 with win No. 16.

``This 21-game win streak is surreal ??_ just thinking about it doesn't make sense,'' Curry said. ``Like it doesn't sound right when you say it out loud. But we're out there on the floor very confident, very comfortable. We expect to win every night. So by the same token, it's kind of what we're about.''

There was a big buzz in the building Saturday, and the fans responded to Curry's big buckets, and the seeming ease with which he hit them, with ``oohs'' and ``ahs.'' Press row was jam-packed.

The Warriors are creating a commotion wherever they go, but they don't mind.

``Yeah it's crazy but our guys are fine with it,'' said coach Luke Walton. ``People talk about the pressure getting worse the longer the streak goes, but our guys love the pressure. They play better the bigger the stage is, the more fans that show up.''

The capacity crowd of 20,160 fans included a star-studded front row. Soccer star Didier Drogba, Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey, and NBA legends Bob Lanier and Isiah Thomas, among others, sat courtside. They were there as part of ``Giants of Africa,'' Raptors GM Masai Ujiri's second annual celebration of Nelson Mandela.

The Raptors trailed by as much as 11 points in another sluggish start, and Golden State led 32-21 to end the first.

Toronto roared back in the second, opening the frame with a 22-9 run, capped by a DeRozan dunk, that gave them their first lead since early in the first. But the Warriors hit back, and took a 59-49 lead into halftime.

Lowry poured in nine of the Raptors' first 11 points of the third, and a dunk by Nogueira with just under three minutes left in the frame cut the Warriors' lead to three points.

The Raptors host Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

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Raptors Fall Short 112-109 To Warriors At Home

ORLANDO, Fla.(CP)_ Tobias Harris had 20 points, including what turned out to be the decisive free throw, and the Orlando Magic handed the Toronto Raptors their first loss of the season, 92-87 on Friday night.

Victor Oladipo added 18 points, and reserve C.J. Watson had 12 as the Magic snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Raptors.

Trailing 88-86 after Harris' free throw, Toronto had a chance to take the lead but Jonas Valanciunas was forced to put up an awkward runner that rolled off the rim, and was rebounded by Orlando.

The loss ended what had been a franchise-best 5-0 start for Toronto.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 23 points and Kyle Lowry added 17.

Toronto struggled shooting the ball all game, finishing 30 of 86 from the field.

The Magic played without starting centre Nik Vucevic, who sat with a bone bruise in his right knee.

The Raptors entered the game with the Eastern Conference's top scoring offence, but shot 23 per cent (10 of 43) from the field in the first half.

But they were able to erase what had been a nine-point halftime deficit just 1:36 into the third quarter.

Toronto hit eight of their first 10 shots during a 19-4 run to start the third, taking a 55-49 lead on a three-point play by Lowry.

The Magic started the quarter 2 for 6 from the field with three turnovers, prompting coach Scott Skiles to pull all five starters.

The move worked, with the reserves keeping Orlando within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter.

TIP-INS: The Raptors had 18 second-chance points. ... Toronto was 5 for 23 from 3-point range. ... Orlando's Dewayne Dedmon had three first-half blocks. ...The Magic had three defensive 3-seconds calls against them in the first half.

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Raptors Handed First Loss Of Season By Magic

DALLAS (CP)_Kyle Lowry scored 27 points, and the Toronto Raptors spoiled the home opener in Dallas, beating the Mavericks 102-91 on Tuesday night for the first 4-0 start in franchise history.

The Raptors took the lead for good on a 12-0 run that started in the middle of the fourth quarter. Jonas Valanciunas had six of his 16 points during the decisive stretch.

The Mavericks went almost 4 minutes without a basket after Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer for an 86-82 lead. Nowitzki finished with 18 points.

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points, and Luis Scola had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who opened with three straight wins two other times in their first 20 seasons.

Lowry had a game-high 10 assists, and Toronto held Dallas to 6-of-22 shooting in the fourth quarter and 38 per cent for the game. It's the second time the Raptors have held their opponent under 40 per cent.

Deron Williams, who starred at a Dallas-area high school, had 13 points in his home debut for the Mavericks.

Dallas forward Dwight Powell, a Toronto native, had his first career double-double with 10 points, all in the first half, and 10 rebounds.

Valanciunas started the decisive run with a layup on an assist from Lowry and finished it with a tip-in and a pair of free throws after he was fouled getting a defensive rebound.

Dallas forward Chandler Parsons played 14 minutes in the first half of his second game after off-season right knee surgery, but didn't play after halftime for precautionary reasons. He scored nine points after getting two in 12 minutes in his debut Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Raptors: Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the first game in franchise history. Toronto beat the then-New Jersey Nets 94-79 at SkyDome. ... Terrence Ross scored four points on the day the team announced his multiyear contract extension. He beat a deadline that would have made him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Mavericks: Coach Rick Carlisle is 7-7 in home openers, including 4-4 with Dallas. The Mavericks had a four-game winning streak in home openers snapped. ... Williams' first 3-pointer in the second quarter gave him 1,000 for his career.

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Raptors Remain Undefeated With Win Over Mavericks

BOSTON (CP) _ DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Terrence Ross had 13 of his 21 in the fourth quarter as the Toronto Raptors took command in the second half and beat the Boston Celtics 113-103 on Friday night.

DeMarre Carroll scored 10 of his 21 points in the third quarter and Kyle Lowry finished with 14 points and nine assists for the Raptors.

Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 25 points. Avery Bradley added 13, including a 3-pointer that got Boston within 108-99 with 1:54 left during a rally that came much too late for the Celtics to rally.

Ross hit six of his first seven shots in the fourth quarter to help the Raptors secure the lead they built in the third by capitalizing on Boston's many mistakes.

Toronto held the Celtics without a field goal for a stretch of nearly 5 minutes in the third quarter and outscored Boston 31-20 in the period.

The game was tied at 54-all at halftime then the Raptors blew it open in the third quarter by forcing the Celtics into a sequence of turnovers and missed shots.

Carroll hit consecutive 3-pointers and Luis Scola made a layup and a 3-pointer during a 13-2 run that gave Toronto an 82-68 lead.

Boston went without a field goal from Amir Johnson's 3-pointer with 6:05 left in the period until Thomas drove for a layup with 52 seconds left.

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Raptors Drop Celtics 113-103 On The Road

OTTAWA (CP)_ Gorgui Dieng had 14 points and three rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Toronto Raptors 89-87 in pre-season play Wednesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The two teams were in Ottawa as part of the fourth annual NBA Canada Series. The fifth and final stop is in Montreal on Thursday night as the Raptors take on the Washington Wizards at the Bell Centre.

This was the second of back-to-back games for the two teams with the Raptors winning both contests.

The 15,522 on hand were clearly cheering for the Raptors, but there was no denying the enthusiasm for Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins, a Toronto native.

James Johnson and Delon Wright both had 11 points for Toronto, while Anthony Bennett led the Raptors at the half with nine points and finished with 10.

DeMar DeRozan returned to the Toronto lineup after getting a rest Monday against Minnesota.

Wiggins had 11 points for Minnesota, while Tayshaun Prince scored 13.

The Raptors took the lead in the opening minutes of the game and appeared poised to walk away with the victory, but the Timberwolves finished strong.

After trailing the entire game Minnesota took its first lead, 80-79, with four minutes remaining in the game and never looked back as some strong defensive play allowed them to take the win.

Toronto held a 15-point lead, 63-48, midway through the third and while the Timberwolves were able to cut that lead to three in the final minutes of the quarter they were never able to complete the comeback as the Raptors ended the quarter leading 67-60.

Toronto led 25-23 after the first quarter and stretched the lead to 11 points at the half leading 54-43.

The Timberwolves managed to tie the game 32-32 midway through the second, but the Raptors went on to score eight unanswered points.

Notes: Raptors G Terrence Ross did not make the trip to Ottawa due to a sore left ankle. Former member of the Raptors and Timberwolves Chauncey Billups was on hand for the game and given an Ottawa Senators jersey.

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Raptors Fall Short To Timberwolves 89-87 In Preseason

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Leandro Barbosa scored 15 points, Klay Thompson added 14 and the NBA champion Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 95-87 in a preseason game Monday night.

DeMarre Carroll scored 15 points for the Raptors, who played in Vancouver on Sunday.

Raptors: Norman Powell scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the fourth quarter. ... DeMar DeRozan scored 12 points. ... Jonas Valanciunas had 10 rebounds. ... All-Star guard Kyle Lowry was given the night off to rest a sore right groin after Sunday's 26-point effort

Warriors: NBA MVP Stephen Curry fouled out with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter. He went 5 of 7 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from long range, and finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. ... James Michael McAdoo scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. ... Marreese Speights had 12 points.

Star watch: Carroll, who played all 12 minutes, scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the first quarter.

Coaching debut: Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said his dad (Hall of Famer Bill Walton) advised him to call six different coaches and read six different books in preparation for his promotion.

Up next: Golden State visits Portland on Thursday. Toronto plays the Los Angeles Lakers in Ontario, California, on Thursday.

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Raptors Fall 95-87 To Warriors In Preseason

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WASHINGTON (CP) – It didn't take very long for Kyle Lowry to show his built-up frustration on Sunday against Washington.

Lowry and his Toronto Raptors were swept from the post-season after a 125-94 loss in Game 4 against the Wizards.

The guard's emotion from throughout the series boiled over in the first quarter.

He protested an early foul on Paul Pierce by firing the basketball to a referee as he walked off the court after a time out. Lowry earned a technical foul and moments later was on the bench with a third personal foul just six minutes 54 seconds into the game.

The meltdown encapsulated the series for Lowry and Toronto, which dropped the first-round matchup 4-0.

"It was very unsatisfactory, to be honest," said Lowry. "At the end of the day, I've got to continue to get better and I will get better."

It was a miserable week for Lowry, who battled back spasms, an illness and a leg injury, but refused to concede he was hurt. His shot was off. Foul trouble was a constant problem. The Raptors' most dynamic player, who started at guard for the Eastern Conference in this year's All-Star game, was a shell of himself in the series.

Lowry scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting on Sunday. But the Raptors' defence was inconsistent, their offence sputtered and they couldn't rebound the shots they did miss.

"I've got no answers. It's a tough end for us," said guard Greivis Vasquez. "But as a team we've got to stay together. We'll see what happens this summer. We all, as individuals, have to get better. That really wasn't us the whole series."

The Wizards led 20-10 just 6:18 into the contest when Lowry was forced to the bench with that third foul. The lead grew to 20 midway through the second quarter and the game was never competitive in the second half as one Washington starter after another was pulled from the game to a standing ovation.

"I was surprised, but I kind of saw it coming," said Toronto coach Dwane Casey. "With how hard we played in the first game and overtime, emotionally I thought we were just drained. Once they hit us with the haymakers, we didn't have enough emotional fortitude to sustain it."

Washington set a franchise post-season record by making 15 of its 3-point shots. It had just five turnovers in the first half. Lowry picked up his fourth foul at 6:16 of the third quarter with the Raptors down 79-61 and later knocked over a chair on the Toronto bench in anger.

"When we play unselfish basketball we're a different team. That's just the facts," said Vasquez. "It's not defence or breakdowns or any (thing) like that. We've just got to play together and when we do that, we win. They did it."

A Raptors team that began the year 24-7 and had reached Game 7 in the first round last season – only to lose to the Brooklyn Nets when Lowry's buzzer-beating jumper was blocked by Pierce – was left wondering what went wrong.

"For us, we did have high expectations. But at the end of the day it was unsuccessful," said Lowry. "The way they came out, their level, they played extremely hard. We've got to learn from it. Regular season is completely different than the playoffs."

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Wizards Come Out Flying, Raptors Sent Packing In Game 4

WASHINGTON (CP) – Kyle Lowry stood with his feet in a tub of ice in the visiting locker room at Verizon Center, the stat sheet floating in the water below.

He stared at the numbers in disbelief and despair. Even 30 minutes after the Raptors' 106-99 loss to the Washington Wizards in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference quarter-final series, Lowry struggled to comprehend what's gone wrong.

Toronto's star guard shot 5-for-22 and finished with just 15 points. He fought through an illness that left his voice hoarse and audibly wheezed during a post-game interview with reporters.

In the end, the effort was better for the Raptors. But the result was the same. And now Toronto is on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs, trailing the Wizards 3-0. No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 series deficit. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday evening in Washington.

"In this situation, we've never been in it," Lowry said. "It's like a Game 7 for us every single game starting Sunday. We're down 0-3 and everyone knows the history of it."

Another fast start gave the Raptors hope they could creep back into the series, but a 10-point first-half lead vanished even before the two teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime.

Point guard John Wall finished with 19 points and 15 assists to lead Washington and forward Marcin Gortat added 24 points and 12 rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 32 points – including 22 in the first half.

DeRozan carried Toronto in the first quarter with 20 points. But Lowry shot 2-for-9 in the first half and foul trouble continued to hound him. Lowry had six points at halftime and two fouls.

After exiting the ice tub, Lowry spent another five minutes sitting on his locker room stool, head in his hands. He refused to use his illness as an excuse.

"I thought Kyle played his heart out," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Again, his shot didn't fall. That's basketball. He's our leader and he set the tone for us early. He played like the old Kyle – except his shot."

At one point in the third quarter Lowry had missed eight consecutive shots and DeRozan had missed 10 in a row.

The rest of the Raptors tried to make up the difference. Toronto took an 85-84 lead with 6:01 left in the fourth quarter after a dunk by Amir Johnson, who was one of the Raptors' few bright spots. He made 6-of-7 field goals and had a game-high 12 rebounds with three assists.

Toronto swept the regular-season series from the Wizards. The Raptors won in a blowout at Air Canada Centre on Nov. 7, 103-84, beat Washington in overtime on Jan. 31 at Verizon Center and won again, 95-93, at home on Feb. 11. DeRozan realizes, though, that this is a different time of year.

With Friday's game tied 88-88, Wizards reserve Otto Porter's breakthrough playoffs continued. With 4:20 to play, he sunk an open 3-pointer to put Washington back in front for good. Porter soon hit another.

"(Porter) has been the difference," Toronto reserve guard Greivis Vasquez said. "He is one of those players that is making his name in the playoffs."

Verizon Center finally exploded moments later when Raptors foil Paul Pierce made his own open 3-pointer to put the Wizards eight points clear with 1:58 left and put the game – and likely the series – out of reach.

"It's not over yet," Casey said. "We're on life support, but it's not over yet. There's no give up in this team. We haven't given up all year and we're going to continue to compete until someone tells us we can't compete any more."