Stephen Curry returned to the hardwood after missing four months recovering from a broken left hand to drop 23 points, but the Dubs fell just short in a 121-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Stephen Curry returned to action after missing four months recovering from a broken left hand to drop 23 points, go a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, grab seven rebounds and dish seven assists in 27 minutes.
However, his presence and the additional scoring of Damion Lee (23 points) and Andrew Wiggins (21) were not enough to topple the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors as the Dubs fell 121-113 Thursday night. The Warriors were unable to hold back Toronto guard Norman Powell who propelled the Raptors’ offense with a career-high 37 points, including a 4-for-8 night from three-point range.
Despite the final result though, the Dubs contested the NBA Champions throughout the game in a hard-fought match.
The Raptors claimed their largest lead of the night halfway through the second quarter with the game at 54-40. But the Dubs responded with a 11-2 run to bring them back into the game. At the half, the game was at 62-55 in favor of Toronto.
The Dubs continued to push as they had through the end of the second, keeping pace with the Raptors. Then with under five minutes left, the Lee hit a three-point jumpshot, a Mychal Mulder steal led to an alley-oop to Marquese Chriss from Lee, then Eric Paschall hit his own trey. The spurt over a one minute span gave the Dubs a 85-83 lead, their first lead since they made the first bucket of the game.
But the Warriors struggled without Curry on the floor through the middle of the fourth quarter, allowing Toronto to go on a 18-8 run through the final frame while he sat on the bench. Though Curry entered for the final four minutes and the Dubs worked their way to within two points with just over one minute left, the Dubs did not have enough down the stretch to complete the comeback.
TEAM LEADERS
Adding to the offense Thursday were Chriss who recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Paschall with 16 points and a career-high eight assists.
The Warriors’ four-game homestand continues on Saturday when the squad hosts the Philadelphia 76ers (5:30 p.m., ABC).
More Notables ...
- Golden State fell to 7-25 at home, losing its 10th consecutive game at Chase Center, marking the longest home-losing streak since the 1997-98 season when they lost 11-straight games.
- The Warriors deployed their 33rd unique starting lineup, the most used in a single season dating back to 2009-10.
- Golden State attempted a franchise-record 52 shots from three-point range, the previous record was 49 on 1/16/19 vs. NOP.
- Damion Lee made a career-high-tying five three-point baskets on a career-high 12 attempts… His 23 points marked the 10th game this season he has scored 20-plus points and he has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games, averaging 15.7 points per game over that span (four 20-point outings).
- Andrew Wiggins tallied nine rebounds, one shy of his season-high mark (10, three times)… He scored 21 points and is averaging 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 33.4 minutes per game over the span of his 10 games with the Warriors.