CURRY, WARRIORS MOVE TO 21-0 AFTER WIN OVER TORONTO
TORONTO—Stephen Curry made nine 3-pointers and scored 44 points, leading the undefeated Golden State Warriors to a 112-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
Curry was 14 for 24 from the field and 9 for 15 from beyond the arc as Golden State pushed its NBA-record start to 21-0. Klay Thompson scored 26 points, and Draymond Green had 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the win moved Golden State past the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association, a predecessor to Major League Baseball, for the best start to a season by a professional sports team.
Kyle Lowry made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 41 points for Toronto, which has dropped three of four. DeMar DeRozan recovered from an ugly 1-for10 shooting performance in the first half, finishing with 16 points.
At 25 consecutive regular-season wins, the Warriors possess the third-longest streak in NBA history, behind only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33) and the 2012-13 Miami Heat (25).
The game turned into something of 3-point shooting contest between Curry and Lowry, with the reigning NBA MVP taking the personal duel and the game. Each star also had seven assists.
Golden State led 59-49 at the break, but Lowry scored 13 in the third to help Toronto slice its deficit to four heading into the final period.
Golden State suffered a scare in the second quarter when Curry left the court clutching his face following a collision with DeMarre Carroll’s shoulder after hitting a layup, forcing the Warriors to burn a 20-second timeout. But he returned less than a minute later.
Fresh off his 40-point effort in Charlotte on Wednesday, Curry connected on his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, for 14 points as Golden State jumped to an 11-point lead after 12 minutes.