TORONTO (AP) — Stephen Curry had 35 points, Kevin Durant added 30 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 127-121 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.
The Warriors also have won five in a row against the Raptors, three in Toronto.
NBA scoring leader DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 34 points, and Kyle Lowry had 24. DeRozan was 17 of 17 from the free-throw line, and had his ninth 30-plus-point game in 11 games this season.
The Raptors led for most of first quarter, stretching their lead as high as 10 thanks to nine points apiece from Lowry and DeRozan. Durant chipped in with nine of his own as the Warriors fought back to close the deficit to 38-34 after 12 minutes.
Durant and Curry, in particular, ensured they improved on that in the second quarter with 10 points each. Aided by the Raptors shooting 5 for 24, the Warriors closed out the half on a 23-6 run, turning a four-point deficit into a 13-point lead, 66-53. The 66 points were the most the Raptors have given up in a first half at home since surrendering 71 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25, 2014.
Golden State pushed the advantage to 19 points over the first 1:30 of the third quarter, but DeRozan brought the Raptors back with 19 points to send the Raptors into the fourth trailing 95-86.
Over the final 12 minutes, the Golden State backups stretched the lead to 16, and were able to hold on as the Raptors rallied within 4 with 13 seconds to play.
TIP INS:
Warriors: Coach Steve Kerr is one win away from the 150th coaching victory of his career. With 33 assists and a 50.6 success rate from the field, the Warriors set a franchise record with a fifth straight game with at least 30 assists and shooting over 50 percent. ... With 10 field goals made, Curry moved past Joe Barry Carroll (4,010) for eight place on Golden State’s career list.
Raptors: Along with Brooklyn, Toronto is the only team to face Cleveland and Golden State in back-to-back games. Toronto lost 121-117 in Cleveland on Tuesday night. The Raptors out-rebounded Golden State 46-35. The Raptors dropped to 5-2 this season when DeRozan and Lowry combine to score 50 or more points.
ENJOYING THE VIEWS:
Canadian rapper Drake was on hand for the team’s fourth annual Drake Night. Wearing a shirt bearing the likeness of ESPN presenter Doris Burke as well as the words “Woman Crush Everyday,” Drake explained that he’s a big fan of Burke. He then sat courtside as the Raptors wore their Drake-inspired black-and-gold uniforms.
HE SAID IT:
“I want the Drake Night record to not only be all wins but I want them to be good wins, all good wins. I think I picked the right team; I’m excited. And if we don’t pull it out now, that’s not even an option.” - a confident Drake before watching the Raptors suffer their first loss on Drake Night. Toronto also dropped to 8-3 when it wears its alternate black-and-gold Drake-inspired uniforms.
MVP IN THE HOUSE:
Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco, the reigning Major League Soccer most valuable player, was sitting courtside. Despite 17 goals and 16 assists in his second season in North America, the Italian failed to make the cut when this season’s three MVP candidates were announced earlier this month. Toronto FC plays the Montreal Impact in an all-Canadian Eastern Conference final starting on Nov. 22.
