The Golden State Warriors left Scotiabank Arena with a 120-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Despite being ahead for the majority of the first half, an injury to Scottie Barnes left a massive blow to the success of Toronto in the final 24 minutes. It has been disclosed that Barnes is suffered a fracture to the third metacarpal bone of his left hand and is out indefinitely. The worst news on top of an already troublesome season.
However, there was still basketball to play and the Warriors did just that. Moses Moody was great tonight. In the last outing between these two teams, he finished with 21 points off the bench. Tonight he contributed 17 points. Klay Thompson joined him along the perimeter and contributed 14 points. Thompson returned to the starting lineup, replacing Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, who was sidelined due to a sore right knee.
Stephen Curry made his first appearance in Toronto since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. The two-time NBA MVP went 9 for 22 from the field, including 7 of 15 from beyond the arc, finishing with six rebounds and six assists.
RJ Barrett led the scoring for Toronto with 23 points, while Kelly Olynyk contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds with increased minutes due to the Barnes injury. Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley struggled from the field, shooting 4 for 16, but managed to tally 12 points, matching his season-high assists with 11. Jakob Poeltl also equalled his season-best performance with 14 rebounds. Gradey Dick continued his great stretch of play with 12 points while connecting on two three-pointers.
This now marks the Raptors’ second straight loss after winning three games in a row. Golden State extends their winning streak to three games marking their 13th victory in the last 15 matchups. Toronto will have to adjust without Barnes for the foreseeable future and their first test will be against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, March 3rd at 6 PM ET.
