Raptors outgun Warriors, take a 2-1 NBA Finals lead despite Curry’s huge night

The Warriors needed to play a near perfect game to avoid dropping their first home game of the NBA Finals. They were without Klay Thompson, who was announced out minutes before opening tip with a hamstring injury, and two-time reigning Finals MVP, Kevin Durant.

And even an enormous performance from Stephen Curry wasn’t enough. Curry finished with a playoff career high 47 points — yet the Raptors at full strength mightily outperformed the Warriors, taking a 2-1 series lead while looking for their first title in club history with a 123-109 victory Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 30 while going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. But it was Toronto’s backcourt, that had been inconsistent throughout the playoffs, that proved to be a massive factor. Kyle Lowry and Danny Green combined to hit 11 3-pointers, tossing in long-range dagger after dagger to make it impossible for a Golden State comeback.

Curry did the heavy lifting for the Warriors offense while his teammates struggled. Andre Iguodala (11) and Draymond Green (17) were his only teammates to reach double figures. And only Iguodala and Alfonso McKinnie connected on 3s connected from beyond the arc while the game was still within reach.

Green cut it to 115-105 with 2:28 remaining, but Golden State simply didn’t have enough answers for Toronto’s top-flight defense that stumped the defending champions throughout. And for the second time this series, Raptors backup guard Fred VanVleet hoisted a dagger 3 with 1:39 remaining that caused the raucous crowd at Oracle to begin filing towards the exits.

Center Demarcus Cousins, who had an enormous performance in the team’s comeback victory in Game 2, offered little help throughout the night while the Warriors’ best minutes at center came from veteran Andrew Bogut. Jordan Bell offered little in his eight minutes, scoring two points and nabbing just one rebound.

All five Raptors starters scored in double figures while the team finished shooting 52.4 percent from the floor, marking just the fourth time in 19 playoff games a Golden State opponent shot better than 50 percent.

The offense was disjointed throughout the night without Durant to create shots and Thompson to make space with his outside shooting. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game Thompson made a “great case” to play, but the team decided to hold him out of he was at risk of making his left hamstring strain worse.

Friday night’s Game 4 could be the last at Oracle if the Warriors can’t force a Game 6 with another victory. It’s unclear if the team will have Thompson or Durant, though perhaps Wednesday’s result could force one, or both, to hasten their return.