Golden State Warriors have proven that they are indeed a great team. What should have been a walk in the park for Raptors turned out to be a fight, resulting in a 106-105 victory for Warriors, making the series 3-2 and keeping Warriors alive.
Kevin Durant re-injured his right leg and had to leave the game in the second quarter. According to sports commentator, Jack Maloney, “Durant and the Warriors got off to a red-hot start, making their first five 3-pointers to jump out to an early lead. Their defense wasn’t able to match their offense, though, and the Raptors quickly got back into the game, even taking a lead of their own for a short time. Once Durant re-entered the game late in the quarter, the Warriors went on another nice run to build a comfortable lead after the first 12 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Warriors and Durant, the feel-good story turned into a nightmare early in the second quarter when he re-injured his right leg and was ultimately ruled out of the remainder of the game. Raptors fans initially cheered the injury before being told to calm down by players on the court, as Durant was helped back to the locker room. Following the game, Warriors team president Bob Myers confirmed Durant suffered an Achilles injury, but didn’t know the extent of the injury. The superstar will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
After Durant left the game, the Warriors got a nice boost from DeMarcus Cousins on the offensive end and managed to extend their lead to as much as 13 points. The Raptors managed to work their way back into the game, thanks to some better effort on the defensive end that forced a number of turnovers and led to easy baskets on the other end. Still, the Warriors maintained their six-point advantage going into the half.
Golden State began the second half much like it did the first, which is to say it couldn’t miss from downtown. The Warriors quickly rebuilt their double-digit lead, pushing the advantage up to 14 points. But as they’ve done all night, the Raptors hung around, refusing to go away with the title within their grasp. For all of the runs from each team, the Warriors once again maintained their six-point lead after the third.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors hung on to their lead for as long as they could, but with the 3-point shots not falling, the Raptors soon took control. And they did so thanks to their main man, Kawhi Leonard. The “Board Man” put on a show late in the fourth, drilling all sorts of big shots to put the Raptors in front. Then, just as quickly as their lead disappeared, the Warriors jumped back in front after two straight 3s from the Splash Brothers. In the end, despite a few mistakes down the stretch, the Dubs hung on for the huge win. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 57 points to lead the Warriors, while Kawhi Leonard put up 26 points to lead six different Raptors in double figures”.
Congrats to Warriors. Keep the fight alive.
