Raptors continue historic run,
top Warriors to take Game 1
The Toronto Raptors may have found the recipe to beat the Golden State Warriors — a lot of stifling D and a good measure of Spicy P.
Pascal Siakam finished with a team-high 32 points, missing just 3 of 17 shots, and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points after a slow start as the Raptors had a rousing NBA Finals debut by beating the Warriors 118-109 on Thursday (Friday, Manila time).
Going this deep into the season is historic in itself for the Raptors, but Leonard and a crew composed mostly of players not used to this type of bright lights showed they aren’t satisfied just reaching this stage.
The result? Toronto protected home court at a jumping Scotiabank Arena — and the surrounding Jurassic Park — to secure the franchise’s first win ever in the championship round.
Game 2, which remains in Toronto, is on Sunday (Monday, Manila time).
Marc Gasol scored 20 points and had seven rebounds for the Raptors before fouling out with 1:14 to play. Fred VanVleet added 15 points and Danny Green, who was quiet in the previous Eastern Conference finals, contributed 11 points.
Stephen Curry led the Kevin Durant-less Warriors with 34 points, Klay Thompson added 21 and Draymond Green had a triple-double 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Siakam scored 14 points on an array of moves in the third quarter where the Raptors took control.
But against the defending champions, winners of 6 straight games entering the Finals, there’s no such thing as a comfortable lead.
Golden State threatened early in the fourth, where a split on the line by DeMarcus Cousins, returning from a long layoff due to injury, made it 90-87.
Van Vleet responded with a bucket, then Siakam added a pair of baskets to give Raptors a 96-87 advantage. Siakam’s assist to Green for a wide-open 3-pointer made it 110-98 for the game’s biggest lead.
After Curry made three free throws off Gasol’s sixtth foul, a Siakam tip off his own miss with 55 seconds left grew the Raptors’ gap to 115-96 sealing the victory. (ABS-CBN News/with a report from Agence France-Presse)