Leonard rises to the occasion as Raps finally beat Warriors
In the first battle of the season between the best of the East and the cream of the West, the Raptors came out on top against defending champion Golden State Warriors, but needed overtime to pull it off. The home team played down the possibility of a finals preview heading into the 131-128 win, but the electric atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena told another story — no matter that the visitors were without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Alfonzo McKinnie because of injuries. The head-to-head matchup between Kawhi Leon- ard and Kevin Durant alone was worth the price of admission, as the Raptors’ main man put up a season-high 37 points while Durant went off for 51 — his third straight game with 40plus points. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Warriors and gave Toronto its first seven-game win streak of the season.
Can’t miss first: The Raptors led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter, their biggest advantage of the night, and were up 38-25 after 12 minutes. That was thanks in large part to near-perfect shooting from Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka, who went a combined 13-for-13 until Leonard missed a three at the threeminute mark. The Raptors shot 72.7 per cent from the field in the first. The Warriors, for their part, didn’t hit a three until four minutes into the second quarter. Siakam, who set another career high with 26 points, didn’t miss until a layup with 43 seconds to play in the third quarter, going 8-for-10 from the field on the night.
Sequence of the night: Kyle Lowry flirted with a triple-double — 10 points, eight assists and 12 rebounds — and stayed vertical to successfully defend a drive by Andre Iguodala before taking the ball back up court for two points. A steal by Lowry off Iguodala near half court in overtime, which led to a pair of made free throws by Siakam, deserves honorary mention.
Earning their role: All five Raptors starters — the usual four plus Serge Ibaka at centre
— played at least 37 minutes, with Leonard seeing a teamhigh 44 minutes.
Clock ticks down: The Raptors were up by three with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter when Durant hit a gametying turnaround three from the baseline. Toronto tried for the buzzer beater, but a driving Leonard couldn’t get the ball to Ibaka on the perimeter quickly enough to get the shot off.
In remembrance: The NBA celebrated Craig Sager Jacket Day in memory of the colourful broadcaster, who died of cancer in December 2016. Raptors coach Nick Nurse, among others, got in on the action by sporting an eye-catching black jacket offset by a shiny royal paisley pattern.
Up next: The Raptors visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at 8 p.m.