OAKLAND – The Warriors and Raptors collide Friday in what is the first of the so-called must-win games of these NBA Finals, as every Game 4 is followed by celebration, desperation or relief.
The Warriors, trailing two-games-to-one in the best-of-seven series, are seeking the latter when they take the floor at Oracle Arena. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 4 o’clock with Warriors Outsiders, followed by SportsNet Central, tipoff of the ABC telecast scheduled for 6:10 p.m. PT.
[RELATED; How to watch Warriors-Raptors Game 4]
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The Warriors entered the week hoping to have Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson available no later than Game 4 and must settle for one of the two. Durant is out. Thompson is in after missing Game 3 with a mild hamstring strain.
Thus, the Warriors are the desperate team. A loss put them one game away from losing the series, which moves to Toronto for Game 5 on Monday.
The key for the defending champs? Defense. This is their seventh consecutive appearance in the playoffs, and their defensive numbers, across the board, have been worse than it was for any of the previous six postseasons.
If they fix it, they likely win Game 4 and also give themselves a template for upcoming games.
Golden State Warriors
If the Warriors don’t fix it, they could be on the wrong end of a short series.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Warriors
F – Andre Iguodala
F – Draymond Green
C – DeMarcus Cousins
G – Klay Thompson
G – Stephen Curry
Raptors
F – Kawhi Leonard
F – Pascal Siakam
C – Marc Gasol
G – Danny Green
G – Kyle Lowry
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: C Kevon Looney (R first costal cartilage non-displaced fracture) and G Klay Thompson (L hamstring strain) will play. F Kevin Durant (R calf strain) is listed as out.
Raptors: No injuries listed.
ROTATION OUTLOOK
Warriors: The key for the Warriors, beyond defense, is getting offense beyond Curry, whose 47-point performance in Game 3 went for naught. Thompson is expected to play and should help. Cousins, who scored only four points in Game 3, needs to bounce back.
Looney, who had originally been ruled out for the rest of the series, has been cleared to play and is available in Game 4.
Though G Quinn Cook has contributed off the bench, F Alfonzo McKinnie and F Jonas Jerebko also must provide more scoring. They combined to shoot 2-of-10 in Game 3. All three are fairly certain to get significant playing time.
Raptors: Coach Nick Nurse has been consistent in his rotations, going no more than nine deep, aside from garbage time. Sixth Man G Fred VanVleet has to solid on offense and mostly decent on defense. No other reserves have done much to hurt the Warriors.
The Raptors in Game 2 got outstanding performances from Lowry and Green, who combined for 41 points, 33 of which came on 11-of-19 shooting from deep. If they repeat those numbers, it’s hard to imagine the Raptors falling short.
Officials: Mike Callahan (chief), Zach Zarba, Eric Lewis, Sean Wright (alternate).