Toronto Raptors (6-10) at Golden State Warriors (10-8)
Tipoff: Tuesday, 12/3/2013, 7:30 PM PDT
Location: #Roaracle, Oakland, CA
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
Live pre- and post-game reports from Oracle Arena and locker rooms: @LetsGoWarriors (by @poormanscommish)
The Golden State Warriors return home tonight to play the Toronto Raptors, after going 2-2 on their four-game road trip. Last season, the Warriors played the Raptors twice and won both games. The Warriors have 10 wins in their last 12 games against the Raptors, and they’ve won eight straight games against them at Oracle Arena. The Warriors hope to win this one at home before heading out on another road trip for their next three games.
The Warriors have started off the season with one of the most difficult schedules in the league. They have played the most road games in the Western Conference, and they have also played the fewest games against Eastern Conference teams. With that being said, the Warriors should be able to win tonight against a 6-10 Eastern Conference team. They need to take advantage of this home game and get a win tonight in order to gain some momentum going into the upcoming road trip.
In Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, the Warriors received huge performances from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry had 36 points and 10 assists, and Thompson had 28 points and a career-high eight threes. They shot a combined 13-of-17 from three-point range. If the Splash Brothers shoot like this again tonight, the Raptors won’t stand a chance.
The Raptors currently have a 6-10 record, which gives them the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference. Although their record isn’t that impressive, the Raptors’ talent level shouldn’t be overlooked. They acquired Rudy Gay last season to play alongside two quality players in DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
“Great athleticism,” Coach Mark Jackson said yesterday after practice, “They have guys that can take over games, scoring at different positions. When you look at Rudy Gay, when you look at DeMar DeRozan the way that he’s playing. Bigs that are guys that can hurt you on the offensive boards. Obviously Kyle Lowry, a proven guard that has displayed the ability to take over games. You gotta be smart. This is a team that’s a dangerous team, that’s well-coached. So we gotta be smart, prepared, and look ready to take care of business.”
Thompson is happy to be back home, even if it’s just for one game before the road trip coming up. “(Oracle’s) one of the better places to play in the NBA. Obviously it’s a good fan base, so it makes it that much easier,” Thompson said, “It’s a huge game for us tonight as far as getting some momentum.”
“Just going out here trying to build on what we did last night (against the Sacramento Kings). We did some things well last night, we did some things we have to clean up. But just getting wins, find a way to win. Getting back our groove, trying to put a streak together,” forward Draymond Green said yesterday after practice, “Toronto happens to be the next game up on the schedule, so that’s who we’re gonna focus on.”
“It’s going to be a tough challenge but at the end of the day, coming into this year we said we wanted to do, was win the games that we think we should and definitely can take our home court,” Green added.
Harrison Barnes pointed to the matchups.
“We need to just continue to try to get wins and I think this game is going to be a lot about individual matchups,” Barnes said today after practice, “DeMar DeRozan is an extremely good scorer. Rudy Gay: extremely good scorer. Terrence Ross comes off the bench: good scorer. (Jonas) Valanciunas has improved a lot, so individually we have to take on these matchups.”
Barnes remembers his first game against the talented Rudy Gay.
“I remember last year I played him the second game of the season, he crushed me. It was (pauses), it was ugly, and coaches never cease to remind me of that (laughs),” Barnes recalled, “When he went backdoor, dunked on (Andrew) Bogut, put me in the post, all that kind of stuff. It’s always good to continue to play against guys that are the top at their position.”
This might help you remember that game last year:
I asked Rudy Gay about the Q1 "Dr. J" reverse slam. He said ppl were talking about it and asking him but he was just in air, instinct dunk.
— Poor Man's Commish (@poormanscommish) November 3, 2012
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The Raptors’ young big man in Valanciunas is intriguing. There’s a solid defender in Amir Johnson. They also added Tyler Hansbrough, D.J. Augustin, and Steve Novak in the off-season.
Green has faced Hansbrough before in meetings between the two traditional college powerhouses of Michigan State and North Carolina.
“Yeah, he dominated in college. He got a couple big wins, large margins,” Green said, “Tyler’s a tough player, I’m a tough player. Even last year, I think we got into it. It’s not something that you go out looking forward to, but when you have two competitive guys like myself and him, sometimes that happens. He’s a good player, hard-nosed guy. When you’re playing against him, you gotta have your hard-hat on.”
“I’m a better player. He’s a better player. Two completely different situations,” Green added, downplaying any hints of a rivalry, “I wish I could take that national title back, but it didn’t happen and life goes on. Now it’s about coming out here and playing for the Warriors and winning the basketball game, it has nothing to do with when I was at Michigan State. Two completely different teams, two completely different situations.”
Keys to the game:
1) Don’t assume this will be an easy win: In recent history, the Warriors have played their best against the best teams and, at times, not so well against teams with inferior records. The Warriors need to take the Raptors seriously and play a competitive, efficient game.
2) HB vs. Rudy Gay: With Andre Iguodala out, Barnes is going to have to step up defensively and guard Rudy Gay. Iguodala is a much better defender than Barnes is. However, Barnes stands a chance at guarding Rudy Gay, because they’re both extremely athletic. This will be an entertaining matchup.
3) Take care of the ball: The Warriors average 17.5 turnovers per game, which is the third most in the NBA. On the other hand, the Raptors force their opponents to turn the ball over 16.5 times per game, which is the eighth best in the NBA. The Warriors can get into serious offensive ruts when they turn the ball over too much, so they need to value each possession and take care of the basketball.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Poor Man’s Commish contributed to this article.]
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