Warriors

his teammates, as six others scored in double digits. Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points and four assists, Eric Paschall (15 points) and Lee (13 points) contributed off the bench and Draymond Green recorded 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Bra d Wa n a ma k e r ’ s 2- pointer gave the Warriors a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter.

But the Raptors (2- 7) made a run in the second half and Kyle Lowry scored 16 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as Toronto erased that deficit and took a four-point lead with 2:58 remaining.

That’s when Curry made his first shot since the opening period — a 3-pointer to narrow the new deficit to one. Curry helped set up a potential game-winning opportunity when he crowded forward Pascal Siakam on the Raptors’ second-to-last possession, forcing Siakam into a tough shot that was blocked by Kent Bazemore.

With 7.7 seconds left, Lee inbounded the ball to Curry who, after getting swarmed by Toronto’s defense, passed back to Lee. Lee rose for a 3-point attempt and was fouled before the shot, putting him on the line for the game-winning free throws. Siakam’s go- ahead midrange jumper rimmed out.

Here are takeaways from the game.

TORONTO PULLED OUT OF THE TRICKS ON CURRY >> Before the game, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said they planned to throw many defensive looks at Curry: The box- and-1 they famously used in the 2019 Finals, other zone schemes and blitzes when he had the ball. But, more consistently, they were physical with him. By the second half, Curry had blood on his jersey from trying to shake free of Toronto’s clamps.

Nearly any time he found a semblance of space, a Raptors player would ditch his assignment and fly in to get in front of him. When Curry drove, Toronto’s defense crashed.

Few players across the league demand this sort of attention from a defense. “I hadn’t noticed it until I got on this team,” Wiggins said, “but it’s crazy.”

Credit the rest of Golden State’s roster, which shot 46.7% overall outside of Curry’s 2-for-16 performance.

For a Warriors team that had previously lost every game this season in which Curry failed to score 30 points, this win serves as an important touch point and proves they can win games when their top player is limited by a defense that sells out to stop him.

THE DEFENSE CONTINUES TO PLAY WELL >> The Warriors have now held their opponent to fewer than 110 points in four-straight games. Tonight, they held the Raptors to 40.6% shooting and the half- court defense was at it’s best of the season: Back out Toronto’s 25 fast- break points and they scored just 80 against Golden State’s set defense.

Wiggins, in particular, had a strong night, as he defended multiple positions. He spent most of the game on Siakam, who needed 19 shots to score 25 points. When Lowry got hot in the fourth, Kerr stuck Wiggins on him to slow him down. On Toronto’s final possession of the game, Wiggins picked up Siakam at the logo, stayed in front of him and forced him into a tough turnaround jumper.