warriors vs raptors recap (Photo: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press)
The Golden State Warriors fell to the Toronto Raptors, 104-98, led by Stephen Curry‘s 34 points.
They didn’t get nearly the performance out of Klay Thompson that they would have liked. It was a tough loss against an improving Raptors team…
. @StephenCurry30 finishes w/ 34pts/7assts & @Dlee042 tallied 20pts/11rebs. Dubs shoot 42% from the field & out-scored 29-20 in 4Q.
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) March 2, 2014
Also, the team was without the services of Jermaine O’Neal, who had a passport issue.
FIRST QUARTER
David Lee got the Warriors rolling with the first points of the game, then Bogut showed off his defense, getting back-to-back swats on the same possession. This would then lead to free throws by Andre Iguodala to put the Warriors up 10-9.
Bogut was then rewarded for his defense with a big slam. It soon became the “Stephen Curry Show”, as he scored 5 points in short order, then made it splash even more to get up to 10 points.
At the end of the quarter, Draymond Green setup Lee for two straight layups. The Warriors would lead the Raptors, 28-25, at the end of the first quarter.
Andrew Bogut with a couple of SWATS!! #LetsGoWarriorsLive
— #DubNation (@DubsPlayLoud) March 2, 2014
SECOND QUARTER
Harrison Barnes, Jordan Crawford and Marreese Speights all made shots and got the Warriors’ second quarter off on the right foot. Their shots put the Warriors on a 10-1 run, which was answered by the Raptors backup point guard Greivis Vasquez, who scored 7 straight points to put them back in the game.
Barnes would then hit a three to put the Warriors back up by one. The Dubs would then fall behind 42-39 before a Curry “splash” to tie the game at 42.
Kyle Lowry picked up his 3rd foul of the first half, late in the 2nd quarter. By halftime, the Warriors trailed the Raptors, 55-50.
Dubs 10-1 run answered by 7 straight from the @Raptors, all from Vasquez. #Warriors leading 34-33 w/ 8:39 left in 2Q. #LetsGoWarriors
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) March 2, 2014
THIRD QUARTER
The Warriors faced trouble at the beginning of the 3rd Quarter, when Thompson picked up his 4th personal foul. A 7-0 run tied the game, which forced a Toronto timeout.
The 5th foul from Klay was a good thing. He wasn’t playing well
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) March 2, 2014
Curry had 29 at the end of three. The Warriors would take the lead, 78-75.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Warriors started off the 4th quarter on a very good note, getting a Barnes pull-up jumper and a Green bucket to push their lead to 6. Lee would then get a hook shot to force a timeout by the Raptors. The Warriors led by 5.
Just as the defense was starting to pick up for the Warriors they allowed Toronto to come back into the game and take the lead.
In the end, the Warriors were unable to pull it off. They just ran out of gas and played terrible basketball, with three turnovers in the last five possessions.
Too many turnovers: again, the story of a Warriors loss. The final score was 104-98, Raptors.
Where it all fell apart….
Toronto on 11-0 run & #Warriors now trailing 92-86 w/ 5:57 left in 4Q.
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) March 2, 2014
Jim Barnett just said the Warriors "disintegrated." Haha.
— Sal Castaneda (@sal_castaneda) March 2, 2014
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Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group writes:
The Warriors couldn’t get stops on defense in the fourth quarter and allowed the Raptors to shoot 48.1 percent from the field in a game that included 21 lead changes.
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Curry was 13 of 27 from the field and added seven assists, but also committed four of his six turnovers in the fourth quarter, with two coming on consecutive possessions as Toronto pulled away for the win.
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The Raptors went on a 14-2 run to erase a Warriors fourth-quarter lead and go ahead 92-86.
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The Raptors also got contributions from reserves Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez, who scored 12 points apiece.
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Patterson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth and added one from beyond the arc to extend the lead. The Warriors led by as many as eight points in the second quarter, but then Vasquez came off the bench to score 10 consecutive Toronto points.
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
The Warriors (36-24) were behind 55-50 at the half but made a strong comeback in the third quarter. Their defense held the Raptors to 27.6 percent shooting (5 of 18) in the quarter.
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The problem for the Warriors is that Toronto (33-26) shot 56 percent in the other three quarters, including 57.1 percent in the fourth quarter.
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The loss leaves the Warriors at 2-2 on the six-game road trip, with games remaining at Indiana and Boston.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
The Warriors failed to close out a fourth-quarter lead that would have put them 14 games over .500 and would have marked the best record in Stephen Curry’s career. He also lost for the first time in his career to Toronto, having entered the game with a 7-0 record and a career-best 27.3 points average against the Raptors.
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This one certainly wasn’t his fault as he scored a game-high 34 points, wearing metallic gold shoes in a nod to the Oscars. David Lee added 20 points and 11 rebounds, but the rest of the Warriors’ starters combined for only 24 points on 8-of-23 shooting.
Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun:
On Sunday, the two teams played it pretty even for most of the afternoon. Both teams had their runs, but down the stretch it was the Raptors that found their way.
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Whether it was DeMar DeRozan draining a clutch three that had the normally business-like all-star beating his own chest or John Salmons going about his business and draining mid-range jumpers from various spots on the court, the Raps closed this one out nicely and recorded a well-deserved 104-98 win.
Holly MacKenzie of The Globe And Mail:
In the victory, DeRozan won the efficiency battle against Curry. While Curry finished with 34 points on 13-for-27 shooting, DeRozan put in an All-Star performance, scoring his 32 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor and 11-for-12 from the line.
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Golden State went ahead by five points early in the fourth quarter before the Raptors reeled off an 11-0 run to take a 92-86 lead with less than six minutes remaining. Toronto’s fourth quarter scoring attack was led by DeRozan who scored 12 of his 32 in the quarter. The Warriors kept things close down the stretch but were unable to get closer than five points.
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