The Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 109-104 to tie the series 1-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night. Somehow, the Warriors closed the game out with a substantial amount of injuries throughout the entire team.
Game 2 seemed to be a must-win for the Raptors, as the Warriors were without Kevin Durant, who continues to struggle with a right calf strain. Injuries piled up for the Warriors, as center Kevin Looney had to exit the game in the first half with chest contusions. Klay Thompson ended with 25 before getting injured in the fourth quarter, pulling his hamstring. Stephen Curry was battling stomach sickness and fatigue issues, but managed to put up 23 points. The Raptors had no better window than to close out the game and take a 2-0 series lead going into Game 3 in Oakland on Wednesday.
With the Raptors winning 59-54 at the half, the Warriors went on a typical hot-streak of theirs, scoring 18 points to start the third before the Raptors were able to score. The Warriors finished the third scoring 34 points compared to the Raptors’ 21.
For the Warriors, it seems it’s just the next man up. The team proved their incredible depth after losing Thompson, Looney and having a lackluster performance from Curry. Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook came up big for the Warriors, with Green one assist away from two triple-doubles in a row, Cousins scoring 11 and snagging 10 boards, and Cook scoring three big threes in the final quarter to help the Warriors extend their lead after losing Thompson. Andre Iguodala had one of the biggest shots of this season, hitting a dagger three-pointer with five seconds left, extending their lead to five points after the Raptors brought it to within two in the last minute of the game.
“You need your bench, no matter what, but in particular when you’ve got a lot of injuries,” head coach Steve Kerr said, according to USA Today. “So we’ll just continue to go to those guys and trust them, and they have proven that they can really help us.”
30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW
Raptors leader Kawhi Leonard racked up 34 points, while Pascal Siakam had a quiet night compared to his Game 1 performance, scoring just 12 with eight boards. Fred VanVleet helped immensely with 17 off the bench. Marc Gasol also had small production, scoring just six.
Thompson believes he will be good to go for Wednesday, but Kerr has yet to confirm that. Durant’s probability to play continues to increase but has yet to be confirmed for Game 3.
