The Golden State Warriors continued their poor run of form, this time, losing to the Toronto Raptors 104-101 at the Scotiabank Arena. It was yet another disappointing outing from the Warriors, who just can’t seem to get things going in their favor after a hot start to the season.
Stephen Curry played well, putting up 26 points (9-17 FG), seven rebounds, seven assists, and one steal. Andrew Wiggins played decently, but below his recent lofty standards, putting up 20 points (6-13 FG), three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Dennis Schroder had yet another bad shooting night, with 12 points (5-12 FG), three rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
As for the Raptors, they were led by Scottie Barnes, who put up 23 points (9-21 FG), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Chris Boucher came off the bench to deliver a strong performance as well, putting up 18 points (7-9 FG), seven rebounds, and two assists. RJ Barrett had 15 points (6-14 FG), four rebounds, and five assists.
The Warriors were a massive letdown. Despite having a better team than the Raptors, they couldn’t get the job done tonight. As for the Raptors, they really played up to their competition and showed a lot of fight against Golden State.
With that being said, here are three reasons why the Warriors lost to the Raptors:
Raptors Shoot Lights Out From Deep
As a team, the Toronto Raptors were excellent at shooting the three. They collectively made 12 of their 29 three-point attempts, converting 41.4% of their shots. Chris Boucher went 3-5 from range and Jamal Shead went 3-4. It was a great collective performance from a team that isn’t known for three-point shooting.
In contrast, the Warriors, who have historically been known for their three-point shooting, didn’t have as good a night. They shot 16-36 from beyond the arc, converting 34.6% from range. While those are decent shooting numbers, as a team they have to do better when a team goes off the way the Raptors did.
The Raptors this season have shot 34.9% from three this season, so tonight was definitely an outlier in terms of their shooting ability. Whereas, the Warriors have shot 36.2% from beyond the arc as a team, meaning that they shot slightly below their season average tonight.
Raptors Pull Off Brilliant Rim Protection
The Raptors had 9 blocks as a team tonight, which shows just how strong they were at protecting the rim. Their ability to guard the rim is a big reason why the Warriors shot just 39.8% from the field tonight. With the massive size advantage that the Raptors hold over the Warriors, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Being able to finish at the rim has been a problem for the Warriors this season. The Warriors are converting just 60.1% of their shots in the paint, the fourth worst in the NBA. This is a big reason why their slump has lasted for so long. Three-point shooting can be a strong tool, but the ability to finish from close range is one of the most important attributes any team can possess in the NBA.
Steve Kerr will need to address his team’s failings at the rim if he wants this poor run of form to turn around at any point. They cannot continue to keep playing this way if they want to find any success this season. And a team like the Raptors, who are blessed with size, will cause problems for them at all times if they sense a weakness in the paint.
Buddy Hield Cools Off After Strong Start To Season
In the first few games of the season, Buddy Hield was a revelation. He felt like the perfect replacement for Klay Thompson, as his pin-point accurate three-point shooting was carrying the team to great heights. Fans were thrilled with the acquisition, but it has been all downhill from there for the Bahamian forward.
In tonight’s game, Hield shot 3-13 from the field and 2-10 from range. These are atrocious numbers for a player who was once considered one of the best three-point shooters in the entire league. Tonight would still be acceptable had it been an outlier after weeks of good form, but that hasn’t been the case.
In the last 10 games, Hield has averaged 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game while shooting 31.1% from the field, 25.3% from deep, and 75.0% from the free-throw line. This massive dip in performance levels coinciding with the Raptors’ downfall is no coincidence. And until Hield finds his early-season form again, the Warriors will not improve.
Golden State must try to shake off this loss, along with several that they have in recent weeks. With a 19-20 record, they have now fallen below .500, and must focus on trying to get back above it if they want to climb the Western Conference rankings. They currently sit 11th, and if they maintain this pace, they will miss the playoffs entirely.
The Warriors play the Timberwolves on the road on Wednesday, 9:30 PM EST next. Steve Kerr must come up with a strong game plan to defeat what is an inconsistent, but still dangerous Timberwolves squad.
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