10 things from Raptors-Warriors
Welcome to the 10 things recap by theScore features writer William Lou. Below you'll find major takeaways from Thursday's clash between Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors.
Statement: The Raptors completed their season sweep over the Warriors, and did so in emphatic fashion on the second night of a back-to-back. Not only did they beat the Warriors by 20 points, but they were also without Kawhi Leonard, who sat out a second straight game with a sore hip. Toronto is now 7-1 with Leonard out of the lineup.
Together: Just as they did against the Clippers, the shorthanded Raptors played a cohesive team game and relentlessly attacked the basket. Toronto scored 58 points in the paint and had 27 assists, and it's hard to ignore that the Raptors move the ball better without Leonard - although they're obviously much better with him in the lineup.
Return: Kyle Lowry strung together another impressive performance with 23 points and 12 assists while playing frenetic defense on the other end. Lowry found success by mixing up his scoring with post-ups, slashing layups, midrange shots, and the occasional triple. He iced the game in the fourth by cutting backdoor for a layup, and with his signature stop-on-a-dime turnaround elbow jumper.
Scouted: The Warriors made a point to key in on Pascal Siakam after he scored 26 points on 10 shots in their first meeting of the season. Siakam faced doubled teams and was uncharacteristically sloppy, but he eventually figured out how to convert that extra attention into easy buckets for his teammates. Siakam getting doubled is a sign of respect that his game is in full bloom.
Shocking: Draymond Green dislocated Jonas Valanciunas' left thumb after hacking him across the wrist on a post-up. Valanciunas immediately fell to the floor and rolled around screaming in pain while clutching his hand. He was immediately taken out of the game. It wasn't a malicious play and Green offered no apologies.
Professional: Greg Monroe came off the pine and gave great minutes in Valanciunas' absence. Toronto's second unit ran the offense through Monroe's post-ups at the end of the third and the start of the fourth, and he punished the Warriors for switching smaller wings onto him. Monroe will be called upon for steady backup minutes as Valanciunas recovers from his thumb injury.
Creative: The Raptors consistently found success by repeatedly posting up Danny Green against Stephen Curry. Green is typically a catch-and-shoot player, but he just overpowered Curry on a handful of possessions and finished with 15 points and five assists.
Unlucky: Golden State shot just 6-of-26 from deep and the Splash Brothers combined for just 2-of-13 from distance. Part of that was great defense on the part of Danny Green and Fred VanVleet, but it was also just bad luck - as Green admitted in the post-game interview. The Warriors missed some very makeable shots.
Concern: Having said that, the Raptors did make a concerted effort to ignore Green at the 3-point arc, and for good reason. Green's jumper was laughably erratic, as he was catching parts of the backboard and the underside of the rim on some of his attempts.
Historic: This was Toronto's first win in Oakland since 2004 when the likes of Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall ran the show. The Warriors have staged some of their most exhilarating comebacks against the Raptors at the Oracle, including a humiliating 27-point turnaround in 2013 that inspired Raptors president Masai Ujiri to trade Rudy Gay later that week.