The Warriors continue their Southeast swing with a Friday night matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
Warriors at Raptors Friday, April 2 4 p.m.
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FLORIDA SWING CONTINUES WITH VISIT TO TAMBA BAY
It’s not a typical destination for the Warriors, but Saturday the team will travel to Tampa Bay to play against the Toronto Raptors and wrap-up their back-to-back set in Florida. Being unable to play in their home country of Canada this season, the Raptors have hosted their home games at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightening of the National Hockey League. Friday marks the second and final time these clubs face off this season after Damion Lee hit a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds to claim victory in their first meeting.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors could not avoid turning the ball over, allowing 27 points off of 20 turnovers through their contest against the Miami Heat and falling 116-109 on the road. » Full Game Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
PREVIOUS GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and James Wiseman
TOR: Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Aron Baynes
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Eric Paschall (left wrist soreness) and Klay Thompson (Achilles rehab) are out. Team Notes
TOR: Kyle Lowry (right foot infection), Patrick McCaw (left knee swelling), Rodney Hood (right hip soreness), Jalen Harris (right hip soreness) and Paul Watson Jr. (Health & Safety Protocols) are out. Team Notes
WIGGINS GOES TO WORK
Andrew Wiggins notched his fourth consecutive 20-point effort of the season on Thursday, stuffing the stat sheet with 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. In the feat, the forward shot an efficient 5-of-11 from three-point range, continuing his effectiveness from beyond the arc. Wiggins has demonstrated evident improvement from the splash zone, shooting 54.1 percent from three-point range in the month of March compared to 27.3 percent through February. Since the All-Star break, Wiggins is averaging 22.5 points per game on 50.6 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from three-point range, continuing to have a positive impact on the Dubs’ offense.
TEAM LEADERS
TORONTO SCOUTING REPORT
Though the team is coming off a 2019-20 campaign in which they made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and kept most of their team together into this season, the Raptors have struggled mightily as of late, going 2-15 over their last 17 games. They are also dealing with a number of injuries, including to their long-time point guard Kyle Lowry (foot infection) who missed Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Through the recent trials and tribulations, they sit in 11th place, two games out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. They recently made three deals at the NBA Trade Deadline including key scorer Norman Powell (19.6 points per game with Raptors), along with Terence Davis and Matt Thomas, to acquire Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr. along with a number of future draft picks. Despite their on-going struggles and now bringing in new talent, the Raptors have a number of players who are threats on both sides of the court as including Fred VanVleet (20.1 points, 1.8 steals), Pascal Siakam (20.0 points, 1.1 steals), OG Anunoby (14.8 points, 1.7 steals) and Chris Boucher (13.3 points, 1.9 blocks).