TORONTO – It was as if the Golden State Warriors decided enough was enough.
After losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, they lost the first half of Game 2 Sunday by five points.
Then, the two-time defending NBA champions reeled off the first 18 points of the second half and held on to defeat the Raptors 109-104 to even the series at one game each.
It was not without suspense. The Warriors, who led by as many as 12 during the fourth quarter, had their lead cut to two points on Danny Green’s 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining. But Andre Iguodala nailed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to complete the scoring.
Raptors’ Pascal Siakam dunks for two points early in the game.
The Warriors also emerged from the game with two injuries. Klay Thompson, who led them in scoring with 25 points, was limited to four minutes in the fourth quarter with a tight left hamstring. Kevon Looney was limited to 10 minutes for the game with a left chest contusion.
“Klay said he’ll be fine, but Klay could be half dead and he would say he would be fine,” Kerr said. “We’ll see. He pulled his hamstring. He thinks it is minor, so I don’t know what that means going forward.”
According to reports, after the game the team clarified Thompson didn’t suffer a pulled hamstring but rather has tightness in the area. Thompson was seen limping out of the arena following the game but, according to reports, said, “Oh yeah” when asked if he would be OK for Game 3.
NBA.com reported Thompson would undergo an MRI exam on Monday, while Looney would get an MRI exam and CT scan.
Stephen Curry added 23 points for the Warriors. Draymond Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and DeMarcus Cousins added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet added 17 points, Kyle Lowry had 13 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter and Pascal Siakam notched 12. Serge Ibaka had seven points and 10 rebounds for Toronto.
After leading by as many as 12 points during the first half, the Raptors led by five at halftime. The Warriors surged to a 34-21 third-quarter advantage to lead by eight points entering the fourth quarter.
Danny Green’s 3-pointer cut Golden State’s lead to four points with nine minutes left in the game, but the Warriors went up by 10 when Quinn Cook hit a pair of 3-pointers.
The Warriors went up 12 on Andrew Bogut’s dunk with 5:39 to play.
The Raptors cut the lead to eight when Lowry made one of two free throws with 4:26 to play. Lowry fouled out with 3:52 remaining.
Curry was hit with a technical foul for flipping the ball in the air with 1:08 to play after Cousins was charged with a foul. Leonard made the technical foul shot, then cut the lead to five when he converted both free throws on the foul charged to Cousins.
The Warriors’ surge to open the second half was capped by Draymond Green’s layup with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter. VanVleet ended Golden State’s run with a 3-pointer 15 seconds later.
The Warriors led 88-80 after three quarters.
The next two games are in Oakland, California. (Reuters)
