Late Turnovers Costly As Golden State Warriors Give Away A Game In Toronto
By Phil Watson
Mar 2, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) tries to get past Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) and forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Curry wrecked a great day Sunday with four fourth-quarter turnovers and the Toronto Raptors rallied for a 104-98 win over the Golden State Warriors Sunday at the Air Canada Centre.
Curry had 34 points—his 15th 30-point game of the season—but also had six turnovers, four in the final period, when the Raptors (33-26) came from behind to drop the Warriors (36-24) to 2-2 on their six-game Eastern trip.
Golden State led by six early in the fourth quarter after a driving runner by Draymond Green made it 84-78, but the Raptors began to chip away, scoring 11 unanswered points to go up 92-86 with 5:58 remaining.
The Warriors still had a shot, trailing 97-95 with 3:35 to go after a 3-pointer by Klay Thompson. But Curry and Thompson missed 3-pointers on the next possession and after Amir Johnson’s dunk put Toronto up 99-95 with 2:32 left, Golden State’s offense turned into something out of a slapstick comedy.
Curry lost the ball out of bounds and Toronto scored on its next possession to go up 101-95. Curry had a pass stolen by DeMar DeRozan and, after getting a stop, Andrew Bogut threw a pass that was stolen by Patrick Patterson.
Curry’s step-back 3-pointer with 43.9 seconds left cut the Raptor lead to 103-98, but the final nail in the coffin came in the form of one last turnover, this one an offensive foul against Andre Iguodala with 16.9 seconds remaining.
DeRozan had 32 points for the Raptors, Kyle Lowry added 13 points and eight rebounds and Greivis Vasquez and Patterson each scored 12 points. Jonas Valanciunas tossed in 10 points and Johnson grabbed nine rebounds.
Curry had 34 points and seven assists for the Warriors. David Lee added 20 points and 11 rebounds, Thompson scored 12 points and Harrison Barnes tossed in 11. Bogut grabbed 10 boards and blocked three shots.
The Warriors were without backup center Jermaine O’Neal, who couldn’t make the trip to Toronto because of a misplaced passport.
Golden State was 37-for-88 (42 percent) overall, 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from 3-point range and 16-for-20 (80 percent) at the foul line. Toronto was 38-for-79 (48.1 percent), 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) and 20-for-23 (87 percent).
The Warriors had a slim 41-39 rebounding advantage and outscored the Raptors 44-40 in the paint. Golden State turned the ball over 13 times in all—six in the fourth quarter. That led to 15 Toronto points, nine of which came in the final period. The Raptors had nine turnovers and the Warriors turned them into 13 points.
The Warriors remain on the road Tuesday when they visit the Indiana Pacers for a 4 p.m. Pacific start.