Golden State Warriors 106-105 Toronto Raptors
As the great Rudy Tomjanovich once said, “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.” And after facing even more adversity in Game 5, the Golden State Warriors showed once again they are truly worthy champions as they staved off elimination with a dramatic NBA Finals road win against the Toronto Raptors.
Game 5 finally saw the much-awaited return of Kevin Durant after a month-long absence due to a calf injury as the Warriors prepared for one last stand. But tragically, Durant went down once again early in the game with an even more serious injury to his Achilles.
But even after losing the two-time Finals MVP for a second time, the Warriors — with the help of some clutch 3-pointers by the Splash Brothers — withstood the Raptors’ late run to shift the series back to Oakland for the last-ever game at Oracle Arena.
Highlights of the game
It all started so promisingly for the Warriors. The big NBA Finals 2019 news that many expected came to fruition: Kevin Durant was finally set to play. And he made his presence felt immediately as he hit two 3-pointers within the first three minutes en route to 11 first-quarter points.
Stephen Curry also benefited from the extra attention Durant received and dropped 14 points of his own.
The Warriors as a team came out all guns blazing as they hit their first five triples to establish an early lead. But the Raptors were able to weather the early storm and were down just six heading into the second period.
Suddenly, though, disaster struck for the Warriors. As Durant tried to cross over Serge Ibaka, he fell to the floor clutching at his injured left leg and exited the court limping. His season was well and truly over — and possibly his Warriors career, as well.
Golden State soldiered on without Durant and were able to preserve their six-point advantage through half-time. DeMarcus Cousins, who had struggled mightily in the past two games, came up big with nine second-quarter points to keep the Warriors afloat.
Despite Curry going cold in the third, the Warriors still made enough timely baskets to maintain their lead heading into the fourth.
But the Raptors were finally able to make their run midway through the fourth. Kawhi Leonard took over as he scored 11 quick points and assisted on another bucket to give the Raptors a six-point lead with three and a half minutes remaining.
But he and the rest of the Raptors went cold after they came out of a timeout, while the Splash Brothers suddenly caught fire. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry hit three clutch 3-pointers in a span of 90 seconds as the Warriors reclaimed the lead with just under a minute remaining.
After two costly Warriors turnovers, though, the Raptors were just down one and had the chance to win the championship in the most dramatic way possible. But Kyle Lowry‘s 3-pointer at the buzzer wasn’t close as the defending champions lived to fight another day.
Key statistics
Without a doubt, the standout stat in the Warriors’ gutsy Game 5 win was the disparity in 3-point shooting. Golden State went a sizzling 20-of-42 from beyond the arc (47 per cent) with Curry and Thompson alone going 12-of-27. Durant also played a significant part as he hit all three of his 3-point attempts before exiting.
Meanwhile, the Raptors were a mere 8-of-32 on 3-pointers, with Pascal Siakam and Danny Green both going 0-of-4.
The contribution of DeMarcus Cousins also shouldn’t go unnoticed. Much like in the Warriors’ other gutsy road win in Game 2, Boogie came up big with 14 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes off the Warriors’ bench.
With Durant gone for the series, the Warriors will once again need that version of Cousins in Game 6, not the one who scored just 10 points with seven turnovers in Games 3 and 4.
What’s next?
Thanks to the Warriors’ win, SBOBET NBA fans will get to enjoy one more Finals game. Similarly, Warriors fans will get to watch one last game at Oracle Arena in Game 6.
Golden State will surely be without Durant for that game, and possibly Kevon Looney as well. The big man also aggravated his collarbone injury in Game 5, and his absence would give the already wounded Warriors even more problems.
While the Warriors’ fighting spirit in Game 5 was admirable, the NBA Finals 2019 odds are still very much in the Raptors’ favour. Remember, the Warriors pulled out a similarly dramatic road win in Game 2 and were subsequently smashed in both games in Oakland.
The Warriors likely wouldn’t have won Game 5 without Durant’s limited but meaningful first-quarter contribution. It remains to be seen if they can get that sort of production from any of their supporting cast moving forward.
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