Pascal Siakam led five players in double figures with a team high 32 points on Thursday night as the Toronto Raptors took game one of the 2019 NBA Finals 118-109 over the Golden State Warriors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
Golden State began the Finals and a run for a chance to win a third straight title without injured superstar Kevin Durant (calf). Durant last played in a game five second round win back on May 8 when he had 22 points in 32 minutes against the Houston Rockets. Head coach Steve Kerr said Durant would most likely miss the first two games. The Warriors did get back the services of DeMarcus Cousins for game one, who had been out since mid April with a torn left quad muscle. Cousins though was used in a limited role scoring three points in eight minutes.
Toronto would get off to a good start in front of the home crowd. The Raptors in a back and forth first quarter early would lead by as many as seven, and by four at the end of the first 12 minutes. Toronto still led most of the second quarter, but Golden State took a lead for a short time by a point at 41-40 thanks to a three pointer from Klay Thompson with 5:37 left before the half. The Raptors then went on a 19-8 run to end the second quarter, capped off by a Danny Green three pointer with 11 seconds left to take their biggest lead of 10 at the intermission. Steph Curry was only player in double digits in the the first two quarters for the Warriors, while Siakam and Marc Gasol were in double digits for the Raptors. Golden State only shot 36 percent from the field, while Toronto shot it at 50 percent.
Toronto continued to lead in the third quarter, going up as many as 12. Late in the quarter Golden State cut it to four points twice on a three pointer by Alfonzo McKinnie, and a layup by Kevon Looney. The lead was extended back to seven though headed to the fourth quarter when Patrick McCaw hit a three for the Raptors with 25 seconds left. The Warriors got as close as they would get in the second half early in the fourth cutting the deficit to 90-87. The Raptors though would immediately respond with a Fred VanFleet driving layup around Jonas Jerebko, two Siakam baskets on a fast break layup and a driving bank shot, a 1-2 effort from line from Serge Ibaka, and a Green three pointer to cap off a 10-1 run to extend back to a 12 point lead. Golden State never got closer than eight the rest of the way, and the 12 point advantage by Toronto was the largest lead of the game.
Siakam added eight rebounds and five assists to his point total, shooting 14-17 (82%) from the floor. Kawhi Leonard had 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Gasol finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. VanFleet chipped in 15 points, and Green had 11. Curry led Golden State had a game high 34 points, adding five rebounds, and five assists, and shot a perfect 14-14 from the foul line. Thompson finished with 21 points and five rebounds. Draymond Green had a triple double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Toronto has now won five straight postseason games, while Golden State dropped their first playoff game since a game four loss to the Rockets in the second round on May 6. Game two will tip off from Toronto at 8 pm on Sunday night.
