The Golden State Warriors took on the Toronto Raptors in an electric Scotiabank Arena with Jurassic Park turned up to a different level of excitement. When facing elimination, the Warriors have shown their championship resilience over the years and Game 5 on the road would be no different. The Raptors fell to the Warriors 106-105 and will travel to Oakland for Game 6 on Thursday.
Ever since his injury in the second round of the playoffs, the main focus for the Warriors has been; when will superstar forward Kevin Durant return to the lineup?
Before his injury, the perennial all-star averaged 36 points per game and was on a mission to prove he’s one of the best players in the world. In Game 5 the two-time Finals MVP played 10 minutes and had 11 points on 3-3 shooting from three-point range. In the second quarter, however, Durant re-injured his leg to what appears to be an Achilles injury. The 10-time all-star limped off the court in disbelief. The Raptors fans cheering of Durant being out fueled the defending champs and motivated their stars to perform at a high level.
Coming into Game 5 most pressure fell squarely on superstar guard Steph Curry. In Game 4 he scored 21 points on 9 for 22 shooting. With the injury to Durant, Curry stepped his game up and came out aggressive with 25 points in the first half and looked like his normal self again. Curry would finish with 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists including the game-tying three with under two minutes remaining. The three-time champion stepped up big when his team needed it most against a tough Raptors defense that allows the Warriors a chance to fight another day.
Warriors center Demarcus Cousins came off the bench and gave his team the energy that was needed following the Durant injury. The big man would go on to score seven straight points and finished with 14 points on 6 for 8 shooting. His presence on the inside was able to help the Warriors on the glass because the Raptors had a clear advantage in rebounding. With the Durant injury, he’s going to be a key piece in the Warriors pursuit of a third straight championship.
Raptors star Kawhi Leonard had a tough time scoring for three quarters and didn’t look like his normal self fans have grown accustomed to seeing in throughout the playoffs. Midway through the fourth quarter, however, he began to catch fire and rattled off 10 straight points to give his team a 103-97 lead with three minutes to go. With all of the momentum on their side Raptors, Head coach Nick Nurse decided to call a timeout and give Leonard a much-needed rest. That timeout seemingly backfired as the Warriors went on a 9-2 run for the rest of the game to get the win.
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala deserves credit for his defense on Leonard throughout the game. He didn’t completely stop Kawhi but he made it tough for him on every shot and even got his hands inside on deflections.
Game 6 will take place back in Oakland on Thursday, June 13th with the Warriors trailing 3-2 in the series. This will be the last game for the Warriors in Oracle arena as they move into their new San Francisco arena next season.