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Raptors Report: Curry, Durant Lead Warriors Past Worn Down Raptors

By Chris Okrainetz

Nov 16, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles a ball as Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) defends during the first quarter at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles a ball as Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) defends during the first quarter at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Steph Curry and Kevin Durant spoiled “Drake night” and led the Golden State Warriors (9-2) past the Toronto Raptors (7-4), 127-121.

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Thoughts and Observations

  • Despite playing in front of a charged up crowd, the Toronto Raptors lost to the Golden State Warriors and are now 3-1 on Drake night. A big reason for the loss was their poor second quarter performance that saw them shoot just 5-of-24 from the field, while the Warriors scored 32 points in the quarter and closed out the first half on a 21-4 run.

    • The Raptors never quit, though. Playing the Warriors on the back end of a back-to-back is a tough assignment for any team, but playing them after just playing the Cleveland Cavaliers is an extremely difficult task. With that in mind, you have to tip your hat to the Raptors’ effort on Wednesday night.

    Toronto trailed for most of this game, but they did cut a 19 point lead down to nine, and then would later cut an 18 point lead down to four. Talk about battling back.

    The Warriors ball movement was a sight to behold. Golden State finished the night with 33 assists and their consistent ball movement led to a ton of open looks. Thankfully for the Raptors, Golden State missed a number of those looks, which allowed Toronto to hang around in this contest. This game would have easily been a blowout if half of those shots would’ve went in.

    More from Tip of the Tower

    41 free throw attempts helped Toronto hang around in this game too. The team did go 37-of-41 from the line, so they took advantage of just about every free throw. If you bet the Raptors (+6) you were certainly thrilled about all the foul calls.

    Are Steph Curry and Kevin Durant the new splash brothers? The dynamic duo combined for 65 points against the Raptors, which was more than half of Golden State’s points.

  • How awesome was Draymond Green in the first half? The former Michigan State Spartan was playing tough D on one end and facilitating the offence on the other. He finished the first half with 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.
  • I know lots of people were wondering what happened to Jonas Valanciunas, but given the way the Warriors play, I’m not surprised JV was kept on the bench. We saw the Cavs force JV into a number of high pick and roll scenarios during Tuesday’s game and I’d imagine the Warriors would’ve attacked him in a similar fashion, which wouldn’t bode well for JV. Instead, a player like Pascal Siakam, who is capable of defending Durant and playing the five, makes more sense.
  • DeMarre Carroll didn’t look too bad in his return, while DeMar DeRozan scored 30-plus points for the ninth time in 11 games.

    • I think we can all admit this back-to-back was a daunting — near impossible — task for the Raptors, but they put forth a great effort and were close to stealing one of these two games.

    RBX (Raptors Bandwagon Exchange)

  • Buy: After playing 30 minutes on Wednesday night, I’ll buy some Siakam stock. The increased minutes was certainly a bi-product of how the Warriors play, but seeing him play at the five was a promising. Also, I know Valanciunas only played in 18 minutes tonight, but I’d buy low on JV’s stock.

    • Sell:

    What do we make of the Drake-KD narrative after Durant’s post-game stare at Drake?

    Aside from KD clearly not giving a damn about Drake night, I doubt it means anything. But considering all the hype and discussion around Drake possibly “luring” Durant to Toronto, or at least trying too, I think we can sell that stock and move on.

    Three Stars of the Night

    1. Steph Curry: he finished with a game-high 35 points and did just about whatever he wanted on offence.
    2. Kevin Durant: 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists and one ferocious post-game stare at Drake. Need I say more?
    3. DeMar DeRozan: he wasn’t his usual prolific self tonight, but DeRozan still managed to finish with 34 points and went a perfect 17-of-17 from the charity stripe.

    Statline of the Night

    9-of-28

    The trio of Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from behind the arc on Wednesday, which is okay, but when you consider how many of these looks were open, the Raptors were fortunate this sharpshooting trio had an off night.

    What’s Next

    The Raptors will begin a five-game road trip on Friday when they travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets (4-7). Toronto beat the Nuggets, 105-102, earlier this season and Denver has lost four of their last five games, so Toronto will have a great opportunity to get back in the win column on Friday.

    Next: DeMar DeRozan, the Mid-Range Dynamo

    What did you think of the Raptors 127-121 loss to the Warriors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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