Warriors vs. Raptors: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015-16 Regular Season
The Golden State Warriors extended their NBA-record season-opening winning streak to 21 games with a 112-109 road victory Saturday against the Toronto Raptors.
As soon as the contest ended, the Warriors' Twitter feed celebrated with a play on the number of victories:
It wasn't easy for Golden State, as the two teams went back and forth during a wild fourth quarter in which neither squad led by more than three points over the final six minutes of the game.
It came down to free throws as Toronto's Kyle Lowry missed one that would have tied the game at 106-106 with 44 seconds to play. The Warriors hit all eight of their attempts from the charity stripe in the final minute to hold on.
Once again, the league's leading scorer carried the Warriors to victory. Stephen Curry tallied 44 points, going 9-of-15 from behind the arc.
The story may have been written before the game started, as GSWStats showed how good Curry has been against Toronto in his career:
However, Lowry did his best to keep the Raptors in the game, scoring a career-high 41 points and dishing out seven assists. After three quarters, he became just the second player to score at least 30 points against the Warriors this season, according to GSWStats.
The Raptors hilariously shared a meme showing what it's like to guard the 29-year-old:
Unfortunately for Toronto, the Warriors had two guys who couldn't be guarded, as Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 70 points.
When Curry nailed his seventh three-pointer of the game in the fourth quarter, the Warriors showed they, too, can be clever on social media:
His dominance started in the first quarter, when he scored 16 points. Before the quarter ended, the reigning MVP stacked up well in the scoring department with his opponent:
He nailed four shots from three-point range in the first quarter, and the Warriors were glad to share video footage of Curry's sharpshooting:
Even the Raptors recognized how well he and the Warriors played over the first 12 minutes:
However, Curry wasn't the only Warriors shooter to play well Saturday. Thompson, like Curry, nailed five three-pointers in the first half.
The Splash Brothers seemed to hit from nearly every spot on the floor, as shown by SportsCenter:
Thompson's strong effort was a good sign for Golden State. Entering Saturday's matchup, the shooting guard was averaging about five fewer points per game than his 21.7 in 2014-15. His first-half performance from three-point land was a season high, per GSWStats:
Draymond Green played his usual all-around game with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Lucas Nogueira had 14 points for the Raptors.
At the end of the contest, Golden State had a 4.5-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have completed three games of a seven-game road trip and will lose at some point. However, for now, they are 21-0 and continue to stake their claim as the best team in the NBA.
Postgame Reaction
It's been known for some time Curry is one of the best players in the NBA, but SportsCenter provided yet another stat that showed why he is among the elites:
Even rapper Drake, who is a huge Raptors fan, praised Curry after the game, per Warriors sideline reporter Rosalyn Gold-Onwude:
Lowry, who averages more than 21 points per game, also has been great this season. Against the Warriors Saturday he had one of single-best games in Raptors history, per SportsCenter:
It was an entertaining game to say the least, with some strong performances from the stars on the court. However, the Warriors had two starters not on the court in Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes. NBA Front Office Insider for ESPN Amin Elhassan shared an interesting take on how to stop the Warriors:
The next team that has a chance is the Brooklyn Nets. Despite a 5-14 record, the Nets took the Warriors to overtime Nov. 14 at Golden State. They will be catching Curry and Co. at the right time as the Warriors will be playing their third road game in five days.
