Durant scores 51, but Warriors lose in overtime in Toronto.
Golden State erases 18-point deficit, falls in overtime
TORONTO — After the final buzzer Thursday night, Kevin Durant stopped at midcourt, yanked off his yellow No. 35 jersey and handed it to his friend, rapper Drake. A Toronto native and the Raptors’ global ambassador, Drake couldn’t pass up the chance at some historic Warriors memorabilia.
In Golden State’s 131-128 overtime loss to the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, Durant delivered one of the most memorable performances of his illustrious career, scoring 51 points — three shy of his career high — to go with 11 rebounds and six assists. And he did it all with Kawhi Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, as his primary defender.
“He can get any shot he wants, pretty much any time,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of Durant. “When he’s feeling it, there’s not a whole lot a defense can do.”
That the Warriors erased an 18-point deficit and forced an extra period was a testament to Durant’s brilliance. With Warriors standouts Stephen Curry (strained left groin) and Draymond Green (sprained right toe) still sidelined by injuries, Durant was an aggressor, forcing one-on-one situations as he willed Golden State out of stagnant stretches.
His three-pointer from near midcourt in the waning seconds of the third quarter quieted a raucous crowd of 20,073. TV cameras panned to Drake, who stood courtside with his mouth agape. A screenshot of the three-time Grammy Award winner’s reaction quickly rippled through social media and inspired numerous memes.
After Kyle Lowry hit a three-pointer to put Toronto up six with 56 seconds left in regulation, Durant hit back-toback threes to knot the game at 119-119 and, ultimately, send it to overtime. The Raptors didn’t create some distance until they got a three-pointer from Danny Green and two free throws from Pascal Siakam late in the extra period.
The Raptors “got a lot of defenders, a lot of athletic guys that can guard, so I had to get my sleep last night, drink a lot of water today,” Durant said. “The defense did matter, but I was able to make a couple shots.”
In overcoming Durant’s gem, Toronto continued to silence those who question its validity as a contender.
What is clear little more than a quarter of the way through the season is that, if Golden State reaches the NBA Finals again, it won’t face Cleveland for the fifth consecutive year. Thanks to the addition of Leonard (37 points, eight rebounds), the Raptors appear to have the best shot at meeting the Warriors at the sport’s summit.
Though only so much can be gleaned from a late-November matchup that Green and Curry watched from the bench, the Raptors appear as capable as any team the Warriors have seen in the past two-plus seasons.
But even Toronto, with its roster loaded with length and athleticism, has little answer for Durant.
In Curry’s absence, Durant has reasserted why he is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, totaling 144 points over the past three games on a mix of fade-away jumpers, deep three-pointers and drives to the rim. For the first time in his career, Durant has scored at least 40 points in three straight games.
That Durant is about to get some help from one of the greatest shooters in NBA history is a scary reality for the rest of the league.
Curry, who has missed 11 games, will return Saturday in Detroit. Green hopes to come back toward the end of the team’s trip, perhaps in Cleveland on Wednesday or Milwaukee on Friday.
“Like I said before I even got to this team, (Durant) is the best offensive player I ever played against,” said Jonas Jerebko, who signed with the Warriors in July. “To see him do it for my team, it’s unbelievable. He can score at any point.
“Too bad we didn’t come out with the win, but Kevin doing his thing, we need that. It’s going to keep happening.”