Warriors overcome Steph Curry’s horrific night of filming to defeat the Raptors

A towel over his head as he sat on the bench, Stephen Curry shook his hips and waved his arms from side to side.

It was halfway through the second quarter of the Warriors’ 106-105 victory over the Raptors at Chase Center on Sunday, and guard Damion Lee had just landed a steal, sprinted the field and snuck around a defender for a lay-up. One night when Curry struggled against Toronto’s crafty defenses, he was just happy to see his teammates flourish.

Until Sunday, the Warriors’ success depended on Curry’s greatness. But with Curry working hard through the worst filming night of her career on Sunday, a new supporting cast pulled in some timely shots and played a stingy defense, propelling Golden State to a memorable victory over the beaten-up franchise. during the 2019 NBA Finals.

It was a sign of progress for a group that had completed Curry so poorly this season that opponents sometimes ignored their lesser-known teammates. The Raptors, who garnered national attention in those 2019 Finals for more common defense in the recreational leagues than the NBA, are no exception.

After opening the game with a box-and-1 defense that begged the Warriors to get points from anyone but Curry, Toronto rolled out several other innovative areas that showed its lack of respect for its running companions. The light was not wasted on the supporting cast of Golden State, who ultimately did what they couldn’t – use the defensive attention commanded by Curry to capitalize on open looks.

Forward Andrew Wiggins (17 points) led seven warriors in double digits. No one was Curry, who jumped late in the first quarter and then missed his next 13 shots. After a 17-point lead in the third quarter evaporated with less than three minutes left, Curry finally began to see the ball come in.

With 2:43 to go, his 3 point put the Warriors at one, 101-100. More than two minutes later, after making two free throws, his strong defense against Raptors forward Paschal Siakam helped Golden State recover the ball from a point deficit.

With 7.7 seconds remaining, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called for time and drafted a play with several options. Lee dealt the ball to Curry, which was immediately doubled. He found enough space between his defenders to hit Lee, who drew contact as he began to hoist a 3-point shot.

Since the foul occurred before Lee started the upward shooting movement, he passed to the foul line for two free throws. The same player whose 3-point buzzer-beating carried the Warriors to a Chicago victory two weeks ago drained both foul shots. After seeing Siakam miss a 20ft from the top of the key as Wiggins covered him, Curry pulled out his mouthguard, raised his right fist and smiled.

For the first time this season, the Warriors had won a game in which Curry failed to score 30 points. And it wasn’t just that he looked deadly. Annoyed by the Raptors’ double and triple team barrage, Curry finished with just 11 2-for-16 shooting points (1-for-10 of 3 points).

Never before had he shot worse on such a large volume. While the Warriors know they probably need Curry to play at MVP level to participate in a busy Western Conference, they were happy to see that they can escape with a win even while working.