Late Durant basket thwarts huge Raptors rally
Kevin Durant hit a 19-foot jumper with 21.3 seconds remaining Saturday night, allowing the Golden State Warriors to hold off the Toronto Raptors 127-125 after nearly blowing all of a 27-point halftime lead in Toronto.
Durant finished with 25 points, Klay Thompson a team-high 26 and Stephen Curry 24 for the Warriors, who ran their road winning streak to 12 ahead of a second NBA Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
DeMar DeRozan had 17 of his game-high 42 points in the second-half comeback for the Raptors, who lost for the second time in three games.
Thompson poured in 20 first-half points as Golden State used a 25-4 flurry bridging the first and second periods by pull away en route to an 81-54 halftime lead.
But the Raptors, coming off a 34-point win over Cleveland, chipped away constantly in the second half, and had a chance to go ahead in the final minute.
With his team down one, DeRozan missed an 18-footer with 37 seconds to go, and Durant then converted Curry's ninth assist into his critical hoop that gave Golden State some breathing room.
C.J. Miles misfired on a contested 3-pointer with 11 seconds to go and a chance to draw the Raptors even, after which Curry iced the Warriors' second win in two nights to start a five-game trip with two free throws with 2.5 seconds left.
Durant (three), Thompson (two) and Curry (two) combined for seven 3-pointers for the Warriors, who shot 58.0 percent overall en route to the 20th victory in their last 23 games.
Curry shot 6-for-12 overall in his return from a two-game absence due to a sprained right ankle.
Draymond Green added 14 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who swept their fourth straight season series from the Raptors.
DeRozan shot 17-for-31 en route to his 42 points for the Raptors, who despite the loss set a franchise record for wins in the first half of a season (29).
OG Anunoby had 17 points, Serge Ibaka 14, Fred VanVleet 13 and Jonas Valanciunas 12 to go with a team-high nine rebounds for the Raptors, who played a third straight game without Kyle Lowry, out with a bruised tailbone.
--Field Level Media
