Kawhi Leonard had a double double and poured in a game high 36 points Friday night, as the Toronto Raptors made it two straight wins on the road in Oakland, California with a 105-92 win in game four of the NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Toronto leads the best of seven series 3-1, putting the two time defending champions on the ropes headed back to Canada for game five.
Golden State led by as many as 11 in the opening quarter at 23-12, on a tip in shot by Kevon Looney who returned to action after missing game three due to injury. Leonard though kept Toronto close at 23-17 by the end of the quarter scoring 14 of the Raptors 17 points. The Warriors continued to lead throughout the second quarter pushing it to eight and led 46-42 at the break.
Leonard though came out strong in the third quarter hitting back to back three-pointers to give Toronto their first lead 48-46. Klay Thompson who also returned for Golden State after missing game three had a strong quarter as the Warriors pushed the lead back to five. With the score tied 61-61, the Raptors finished the 12 minutes of action by going on an 18-6 run to take a 79-67 advantage into the fourth quarter. The run would consist of points from only Serge Ibaka and Leonard, with seven scored by Ibaka and 11 for Leonard.
The final quarter was controlled by Toronto, going up as many as 16 and only allowing Golden State back within eight with just under three minutes to go on a three-pointer from Steph Curry. The Raptors outscored the Warriors 63-46 in the second half and are now on the verge of their first ever NBA title.
Leonard added 12 rebounds to his point total, and also had four steals and a blocked shot for the Raptors. Ibaka finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Pascal Siakam added 19 points and five rebounds. Kyle Lowry also chipped in 10 points, seven assists, and three steals. Thompson led Golden State with 28 points shooting 11-18 from the floor, and 6-10 from three-point range. Curry had 27 points, four rebounds, and six assists but shot only 9-22 from the field. Looney and Draymond Green each finished with 10 points, with Looney adding six rebounds, and Green adding nine rebounds and 12 assists. Golden State turned the ball over 17 times compared to just nine for Toronto. The Raptors also went 23-24 from the foul line, while the Warriors were 14-21. Golden State played without Kevin Durant for a ninth straight game.
Golden State will try to extend the series and send it back home to Oakland for a possible game six when they travel to Toronto and the Scotiabank Arena for game five on Monday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.
