The Warriors weren’t ready to give up the NBA title just yet, not even after suffering a heartbreaking loss.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Klay Thompson added 26, and Golden State survived Monday with a 106-105 win over the Toronto Raptors that extended the NBA Finals to a fifth game.
Curry and Thompson, the “Splash Brothers,” saved Golden State’s season for now. They combined to hit three consecutive triples in the final stretch of the match, after Toronto had taken a six-point lead with just under three and a half minutes to play, in front of the delirious fans, dressed in red jerseys.
“They are amazing, they are incredible competitors, great shooters,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, referring to Curry and Thompson.
The Warriors lost Kevin Durant just one period after he returned. When he dribbled, the star suffered from an injury to his right leg, and left the game limping.
However, his teammates took the win to cut Toronto’s lead in the series to 3-2, which will return to Oracle Arena, where the sixth game will be played on Thursday.
“I have seen this over and over again. It is not really a surprise. This is how these players are, ”Kerr emphasized.
Kawhi Leonard had 26 points for the Raptors but failed to make the last shot, which would have been the crowning glory. That responsibility fell to Kyle Lowry, and his shot was blocked by Draymond Green.
The Warriors, two-time defending NBA champions, were within minutes of being dethroned. They had lost Durant and squandered a 14-point lead during an emotionally draining game.
They had controlled Leonard for three periods, but the Toronto star scored 10 straight points in the fourth period, and the Raptors cherished their first ever title. You could smell a celebration that would have spread across the vast territory of Canada.
But after all the Warriors had lost, they still had the top two shooters from the perimeter in the world. Thompson hit a triple and Curry followed with another to equalize the score at 103.
Golden State turned to Thompson again, and the Raptors lost sight of him long enough for him to score the tying goal, 57 seconds from the end.
Toronto reduced the difference to a single point with a Kyle Lowry basket, and the Raptors had one last chance when DeMarcus Cousins engaged in questionable illegal interference.
Leonard got the ball, but the Warriors forced him to give it up to Lowry, who was in the corner and missed a lot, just as the buzzer sounded.
Cousins had 14 points for the Warriors and Green finished with 10, in addition to grabbing 10 rebounds and delivering eight assists.
Golden State is the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in an NBA Finals. Cleveland rallied to win the championship in 2016.
Now, the Warriors have a chance to do the same. AP