Golden State Warriors: Reaction to overtime loss versus Raptors
By Tony Pesta
The much-anticipated battle between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors more than lived up to the hype. Here are a few takeaways from the game.
The Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors just played in one of the most entertaining games of the 2018-19 NBA season. This potential NBA Finals preview came down to the wire, with the Raptors emerging victoriously in a 131-128 overtime thriller.
The Raptors now hold a league-best 19-4 record. Toronto was led by Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam who combined for 63 points. Leonard scored a season-high 37 points, while Siakam poured in a career-high 26. Overall, the Raptors displayed a deadly combination of elite defense and potent offense.
Kevin Durant finished with 51 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. This marked the sixth game of KD’s career in which he scored 50+ points and just his second loss in these games. Klay Thompson was the team’s second leading scorer with 23 points while Jonas Jerebko chipped in with 20 off of the bench.
If this game taught the Warriors anything, it is that playing individual hero ball will not win them games. The Dubs have built their team off of unselfish play. There is no question that the Warriors are at their best when everyone is clicking in unison and moving the ball.
Durant has scored 50+ points in two different games with the Warriors. The Dubs lost both of these games. This further proves that this style of play is not ideal for a winning culture.
However, this is not to discredit Durant’s performance in the slightest. Rather, this further shows the importance of an all-around team effort. KD can’t be asked to win games all on his own.
The Dubs will need more production from their role players. In this game, the Raptors had six different players score in double figures. Meanwhile, the Warriors had only three meet this mark. Luckily, the return of Stephen Curry and the debut of DeMarcus Cousins should resolve this issue.
As a whole, the Warriors looked solid on both ends of the floor against the Raptors. Toronto just opened up this game on fire, hitting 10 of their first 12 attempts from the field. This led to an eventually 18-point lead that was too much for the Warriors to overcome.
If this game was a preview of what we are to expect in the NBA Finals, then fans everywhere should be excited. The Raptors matched up well with the Dubs and weren’t afraid of the challenge. It will be interesting to see how these teams perform when they meet again in two weeks, this time with Curry in the lineup.