Golden State Warriors Preview: Best in West Take on Best in East

The Golden State Warriors enter their Friday night contest with a 25-5 record. The Warriors boast the best record in the Western Conference and the NBA overall, but their game tonight at Oracle Arena puts them up against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, and they have a solid 10-5 road record. On the other hand, the Warriors have an impressive 12-1 home record, and they’ve gone 7-3 in their last 10 games, which sounds great but indicates that three of their five losses have come in just the last 10 games.

The Warriors and Raptors split the two games they played against each other last season, but the Warriors have won nine straight games at home against the Raptors. We’ll see if the Warriors can continue this trend tonight in their first game of 2015.

Offensively, the Warriors and Raptors have similar outputs, as both teams are tied for second in the NBA with 108.1 points per game. However, the Warriors shoot an NBA-best 48.2 percent from the field, and the Raptors shoot 46.2 percent, which is still impressive but ranks 10th in the NBA.

More from Golden State Warriors

• Warriors unlikely to draft Anthony Edwards due to character concerns
• Warriors: September minicamp mimics NBA bubble
• Warriors: Eric Paschall named to NBA All-Rookie first team
• Warriors reportedly eyeing a wing in the 2020 NBA Draft
• Warriors: Is the team destined to trade its No. 2 overall draft pick?

From three-point range, the Warriors shoot 37.2 percent, which is seventh in the NBA. The Raptors are not far behind, as they shoot 36.3 percent from three-point range, which is 12th in the NBA.

Defensively, there’s more of a gap between these two teams. The Warriors hold their opponents to 42 percent shooting from the field, which is the best opponent field goal percentage in the NBA. The Raptors allow their opponents to shoot 45.7 percent from the field, which ranks 19th in the NBA.

Not only does this game feature two of the best teams in the NBA, but this game also features two of the best point guards in the NBA so far this season. Stephen Curry is an MVP candidate this season, but Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has also had an incredible start to the season.

Lowry is currently averaging 20.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Lowry is a high-effort, tough player who’s a game manager and facilitator, and he’s been described as “relentless.” Curry is an elite shooter, passer, and he’s developed as a leader and slasher to the basket. These two play with somewhat contrasting styles, so it will be interesting to see how these two players match up head-to-head tonight.

Lowry might be the leader of this Raptors team, but the Raptors’ best player is DeMar DeRozan. However, DeRozan will not play in tonight’s game with a torn left adductor longus tendon.

Terrence Ross, Lowry, and Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas have all stepped up in Derozan’s absence, and they’ve helped the Raptors become the best in the East.

Prediction: Despite the Warriors’ edge on the defensive end, this will be an extremely tough matchup for the Warriors, even with DeRozan out for the Raptors. The Warriors will need that Oracle Arena energy to get past the best team in the East, but look for the Warriors to pull off the win today.

Projected Starting Lineups: 

• Warriors: Curry – Klay Thompson – Harrison Barnes – Draymond Green – Marreese Speights
• Raptors: Lowry – Ross – James Johnson – Amir Johnson – Valanciunas

Injury Reports:

• Warriors: 
  • Festus Ezeli (mild left ankle sprain): OUT
  • Andrew Bogut (right knee chondromalacia/bone edema): OUT
• Raptors:
  • DeRozan (torn left adductor longus tendon): OUT
  • Landry Fields (concussion): QUESTIONABLE

Next: Steph Curry Leads Western Conference in All-Star Votes