With Chris Paul's broken hand, Steve Kerr made the decision to relaunch Andrew Wiggins in the starting five alongside the “Splash Brothers”, Jonathan Kuminga, and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis. Result of this change? After seven minutes of play, RJ Barrett and Pascal Siakam (16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) had already put the Raptors at +14 (28-14). Steve Kerr then tried numerous combinations but the Warriors returned to the locker room to boos from the Chase Center and 27 points behind (76-49)!
Toronto marched on Golden State for 24 near-perfect minutes for the Canadiens. They finished the first half at 60% on shots and 47% on 3-pointers, thanks in particular to Barrett's 5/6 (26 points at halftime). They delivered 23 assists, including 9 for Immanuel Quickley alone. They controlled the rebound, the racket, and punished the Warriors on each of their lost balls.
Steve Kerr changes his five once again to start the second half by trusting Brandin Podziemski, Kevon Looney, and Dario Saric to surround the “Splash Brothers”. In the wake of Klay Thompson (25 points), the Warriors begin a dazzling comeback. They pass a 38-20 to the Raptors to come back to -9 (96-87)! Golden State, however, started too far, and Toronto passed them a 14-3 straddling the third and fourth quarters to definitively kill the match. This is only the Raptors' sixth away victory.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Raptors' 40-18 that makes the Chase Center rumble. Facing the Raptors, 11th in the East, this is the kind of match that the Warriors have no right to lose if they want to get back on track. And yet, like against Miami and like against Dallas, Steve Kerr's men started the match without energy and without toughness. The Raptors were quick to take the game by the horns. RJ Barrett's 17 points and the Canadiens' defense knocked out Golden State by passing them 40-18 in the last 11 minutes of the second quarter!
– The 40 seconds that sealed Toronto's victory. Humiliated on their home court in the first period, the Warriors woke up after returning from the locker room and almost made the Raptors falter. Two free throws from Jonathan Kuminga had just brought the Warriors back to -9 and a new defensive stop gave them the opportunity to come back to two possessions. However, all the work done in this third quarter will be shattered. A block from Pascal Siakam on a lay-up from Kuminga leads five seconds later to a 3-pointer from RJ Barrett. In the process, a counter from Gary Trent Jr. on Moses Moody ends in a tap from Chris Boucher at the buzzer. In 40 seconds, the Raptors stopped the momentum of the Warriors and will continue their momentum at the start of the last quarter.
– Otto Porter Jr. finally receives his championship ring. A year and a half after winning the 2022 NBA title with the Warriors, Otto Porter Jr. finally received his championship ring from Stephen Curry. Porter Jr, who signed with Toronto in the summer of 2022, has only played 23 games with the Raptors since leaving Golden State. He played a key role in the Warriors' title, even starting several games in the NBA Finals against Boston.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
