Warriors return to winning ways vs. Raptors, but turnover issues persist
The Golden State Warriors’ one-point Christmas loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers brought concerns beyond how the team would respond to a fresh round of jokes about blowing a 3-1 lead. Although the NBA has said that “the result probably should have gone the other way, the Warriors’ late-game execution and turnover struggles were reason enough for the team with the NBA’s best record to look inward. Golden State has the talent to blow out anyone, but they still have to work on some things.
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The first quarter of Wednesday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors suggested that the Warriors would be just fine. A 22-4 game-opening run set the tone for a 42-17 first quarter in which Golden State shot 72 percent from the field, balanced 13 assists with two turnovers, and held Toronto to worse than 20 percent shooting. The worries of Sunday looked in the past, and the Warriors seemed on their way to a very convincing win over a team just a game behind the Cavs at the top of the East standings.
Things got much more complicated after that. The Raptors chomped away at the margin bit by bit. They cut it to single digits on multiple occasions in the second quarter, including on this DeMar DeRozan bucket that put him ahead of Chris Bosh to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer:
The Raptors got the deficit as low as five before a 14-2 run put the Warriors back in control by halftime. Yet the period set the tone for the rest of the contest. Golden State turned it over 20 times on the night (one more than on Sunday), scored only 17 points in the fourth quarter, and allowed Toronto several chances to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes. The eventual 121-111 win did not look locked up until this fantastic Kevin Durant block of DeRozan with 1:31 on the clock:
As in the Cavs game, Durant was the Warriors’ best player, filling the stat sheet with 22 points, 17 rebounds (all defensive), seven assists, and five blocks. However, he committed six of the team’s turnovers and certainly was not without fault. Add in a few more questionable passes from Stephen Curry, and it’s easy to see why this win did not inspire glowing raves.
In fact, it looked very similar to the Cavs loss:
Kinda looks like a repeat of last game, but without Kyrie Irving's brilliance
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) December 29, 2016
That’s not to say the Raptors deserve no credit for making it competitive. DeRozan (29 points on 9-of-10 FT), Kyle Lowry (27 points on 5-of-12 3FG), and Terrence Ross (24 points on 4-of-9 3FG) bested the Warriors’ scorers for the final three quarters, and Toronto once again looked able to contend with the best teams in the NBA.
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On the other hand, the Raptors lacked the same composure that carried the Cavs to their win. No one has ever questioned that the Warriors are good, and it’s possible that their issues will only be problematic against the defending champions. In a way, they can only prove themselves by avoiding questionable turnovers entirely and then doing the same against Cleveland. The entire season is now about proving that LeBron James and the Cavaliers do not hold an overwhelming mental edge.
Of course, we can still have some fun along the way. Wednesday’s game was a thrilling one full of excellent plays and the sort of runs only the Warriors can create. With Stephen Curry (28 points), Klay Thompson (21 points), Draymond Green (14 points and 10 assists), and Durant all performing, it’s easy enough to look past some silly passes and mistakes against mere top-two seeds. It’s OK to leave the serious concerns for the times the Warriors and Cavs actually play each other.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
