Raptors miss golden opportunity in Game 5
TORONTO — They were up by six, in the city that Torontonians call The Six, with less than three minutes left.
The NBA championship was there for the taking.
And the Toronto Raptors couldn’t finish it off.
The Raptors still lead the NBA Finals 3-2, even after losing at home to the Golden State Warriors 106-105 on Monday night. But they’ll be heading back to California on Tuesday, and allowed the Warriors — the wounded two-time defending NBA champions — to have renewed life in their quest for a third straight ring.
Kawhi Leonard’s jumper with 3:28 left put the Raptors up 103-97. They were outscored 9-2 the rest of the way. They missed five of their last six shots — the only make was on a goaltending call — and went 0 for 3 from 3-point range in that crucial closing stretch. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scored all nine of Golden State’s points in that finishing kick.
The Larry O’Brien Trophy went back into its carrying case.
Off to Oracle it goes for Game 6 on Thursday night, the final home game the Warriors will ever play in that building.
The Raptors are still in control of the series. The worst thing that can happen to them in the next few days is to have a Game 7 in their Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night to decide the championship.
They’ve won three times at Oracle already this season. But they also knew this was a chance that slipped away.
And against a team with such a championship pedigree, even if Kevin Durant can’t come back to this series, any missed opportunity could be very costly. (AP)
IN DEFEATING Dominic Thiem of Austria on Sunday, Rafael Nadal merely formalized a victory unquestionably expected.
OK, Thiem had beaten No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after a lungbusting five-setter to set a title clash with Nadal for the French Open.
But Thiem, 25, had but two chances against Nadal, 34. Nil & none.
Even his one-set win in his four-set loss was a virtual “gift” from Nadal.
Well, in fairness, Thiem really earned his shot at Nadal as his upset of Djokovic was achieved in style.
Let’s give it to Thiem. Even as he barely defeated Djokovic, his win was monumental and deserving of epic superlatives. He unfurled winners in bunches.
In beating Djokovic, Thiem tabbed his stint with fame.
But fleeting it was as Thiem’s perch was made of sand: Easy to get washed out against a tsunami like Nadal.
Thiem was not yet the guy to snap Nadal’s 11 straight wins in Paris.
Djokovic might have been it. He was on a roll with his successive wins in the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open.
A win against Nadal could have made Djokovic the second man after Rod Laver
became more difficult after Durant limped off in the second quarter after he had missed the previous nine games with a strained right calf.
He was attempting to dribble past Serge Ibaka early in the second quarter when he suddenly came to a stop, lost the ball and limped sideways before grabbing at his lower right calf as he fell to the court.
Fans at first cheered but then, spurred in part by some Raptors players, chanted “KD! KD!” as he was helped to the locker room area joined by Curry, Andre Iguodala and general manager Bob Myers.
Durant left the arena on crutches and the Warriors said he would get an MRI on Tuesday.
They were initially OK without him because Cousins — who returned from injury himself in this series — came off the bench to score their next seven points before feeding Green for a layup that gave them a 48-37 lead. It got as high as 13 on Curry’s four-point play, and Golden State led 62-56 at halftime.
But eventually it would come down to Curry and Thompson, who both logged more than 41 minutes and will have to be ready to go again Thursday in what will be the final game in Oracle Arena.
Lowry had 18 points and Marc Gasol scored 17 for the Raptors, who were trying to give Canada its first championship in one of the traditional major sports since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993.
Fans had been waiting through on-and-off rain all day — some since Sunday — to watch at one of the outdoor watch parties that have popped up in and around Toronto. The crowd inside the arena that included hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky and former Raptors star Vince Carter thought it would witness history as Leonard powered past his defenders repeatedly in the fourth quarter.
But the Raptors needed one more basket, and the only way the local fans can see them win in person is if it goes the full seven games and Toronto wins it at home on Sunday. TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State also lost Kevon Looney again after he aggravated his injury to upper body cartilage. … Durant finished with 11 points. He came in averaging 31.7 points per game in the NBA Finals, trailing only Rick Barry and Michael Jordan on the career list.
Raptors: Serge Ibaka scored 15 points and Fred VanVleet had 11 off Toronto’s bench.